69novels Chapter 276 The Northern Expedition could be his, or it could be ours!
Chapter 276 The Northern Expedition could be his, or it could be ours!
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System]
Current funds: £6,543,876
[Daily Increase in Funds]: £3 per second (continuously soaring)
[Current troop strength]: First Army (commanded by Shen Li, including five German-equipped infantry divisions, two armored divisions, and the First Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade), Second Army (commanded by He Maofeng, including an independent motorized infantry division, the Twelfth Division, the Second Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade, an independent armored brigade, and two Central Army reorganized independent mixed brigades), and naval and air force construction units.
[System Prompt]: The First and Second Armies have completed their battle order reorganization, the vanguard supplies are ready to be assembled, and the Northern Expedition to Pingjin is poised to begin.
In the early morning in Jining, a thick layer of leaden-gray clouds rolled across the sky.
A cold wind, carrying fallen leaves, swept across the blue brick square in front of the camp, adding to the somber chill.
Outside on the parade ground, the low rumble of German-made truck engines could be faintly heard; the vanguard troops were making their final preparations for departure.
Chen Zijun stood with his hands behind his back on the second-floor balcony, his fingertips tracing the cold bronze railing.
In my mind, the crisp sound of the system's available funds ticking away was like a precision industrial spring snapping shut at full speed.
The system balance of over 20 million pounds, plus the more than 50 million pounds in physical reserves locked in the Shanghai Southeast Central Bank's vault, constituted his capital to disregard all legitimate status.
"Young Marshal, it's cold, let's go back inside."
Shen Li, wearing a woolen overcoat, pushed open the door and walked in, whispering a reminder.
Chen Zijun withdrew his gaze and sneered:
"Shen Li, what do you think Principal Chang in Nanjing is doing at this time?"
Shen Li's lips curled slightly, revealing an extremely cold smile:
"Young Marshal, I reckon he won't be able to eat breakfast today."
"As soon as the order of battle for our First and Second Armies was sent out by telegram, the confidential office in Nanjing was in an uproar."
"Given Principal Chang's temper, those precious green-glazed Ru kiln teacups in his study are probably going to suffer today."
"Smashing cups is good. The more cups you smash, the more money the porcelain shops in Jinling can make."
Chen Zijun chuckled faintly, but his eyes held a bottomless cold light.
"But this is just the beginning."
"Once the heavy artillery wheels of our Second Army start rolling on the Jinpu Railway, what he'll smash are those ridiculous micro-management maps in his head."
Meanwhile, in Nanjing, a thousand miles away, at the Presidential Palace headquarters.
"Bang!"
An extremely valuable Jingdezhen fine porcelain blue-glazed teacup was smashed hard on the marble floor, instantly shattering into a pile of gleaming porcelain shards.
The scalding hot pre-rain Longjing tea flowed meanderingly between the seams, releasing a slightly bitter aroma.
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
Commander-in-Chief Chang stood behind the huge mahogany desk, his face ashen and his body trembling slightly.
He clutched the newly translated "Draft of the North China War Zone Construction Plan" in his hand, his finger digging into the large red circle, his voice shrill:
"First War Zone! North China War Zone! Who does Chen Zijun think he is?!"
"He's just a warlord who nominally accepted reorganization and holds the title of deputy commander. Who gave him the audacity to unilaterally designate national war zones?!"
"He's drawn Anhui, Henan, and Hebei into Chen's army's defense zone. Does he even respect me, his commander-in-chief?! Does he even respect the central government in Nanjing?!"
Inside the study, several senior staff officers and military and political officials lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.
"Principal, please calm down."
A deputy chief of staff wearing black-rimmed glasses wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, braced himself, stepped forward, and offered words of comfort.
"But according to intelligence from Lunan and Xuzhou, Chen's army is serious this time. The First Army has already completed its assembly in Suqian, and that roughneck He Maofeng has even mounted heavy artillery on the train."
"During the Battle of Xuzhou, they used heavy artillery and tanks to annihilate the Fengtian clique, leaving nothing but bones. If we were to openly issue a statement to stop them now, I'm afraid public opinion across the country would be..."
"What are you afraid of?!"
Commander-in-Chief Chang slammed his hand on the table, making the ink bottle clang loudly.
"Does having a few Krupp cannons mean I, the nominal head of state, have to fawn over him?! Damn it! Does this country belong to the Chen family or the Party-state?!"
"Principal, legally speaking, it naturally belongs to the Party and the State."
Outside the door, a slightly hoarse but unusually calm voice slowly drifted in.
Immediately afterwards, Dai Zhijian walked in wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit.
His face remained as cold and expressionless as still water, but his sunken eyes gleamed with a sinister light like a venomous snake.
When Commander-in-Chief Chang saw Dai Zhijian, the rage on his face subsided slightly:
"Zhijian, you've come at the perfect time! What are you guys in the Military Intelligence Bureau good for?!"
"The Chen family army is about to extend its reach into North China. Such a massive military mobilization, and you didn't even utter a sound beforehand?!"
Dai Zhijian stood at attention in front of his desk and replied:
"Principal, the Chen family army has extremely tight security, and their military intelligence bureau is ruthless."
"The observation posts we buried in Ma'anshan and outside Jiangnan Shipyard were uprooted by them yesterday, and the three bodies are still being displayed on utility poles along the Huangpu River in Shanghai."
"Chen Zijun is using human heads to tell us that his defense zone is so tight that even a fly in the center cannot get in."
"Lawless! This is nothing short of banditry!" Commander-in-Chief Chang gritted his teeth.
"So what do we do now?! Governor Han of Henan and Governor Ni of Anhui sent me over a dozen urgent telegrams last night! They're asking me whether to fight or let them go?!"
"Fight? With those beggar troops who can't even be fully equipped with Hanyang rifles, how can they stop Chen Zijun's armored division and heavy artillery brigade? Let them go? If they let them go, will Anhui and Henan belong to Chen Zijun or to me... the Party and the State?!"
Dai Zhijian gave a cold laugh and lowered his voice:
"Principal, release him, he absolutely must be released. Moreover, we should publicly commend him in the newspapers."
"What?!" Commander-in-Chief Chang's eyes widened. "To commend him?!"
"Principal, please let me explain in detail."
A deep, calculating look appeared on Dai Zhijian's gaunt face.
"Chen Zijun's Northern Expedition is based on the noble cause of resisting Japan and saving the nation, and recovering lost territory. If we openly obstruct it, Chen Zijun will immediately issue a nationwide telegram accusing Nanjing of passively resisting Japan!"
"That kid's a domineering fellow, and he's just looking for an excuse to head south. If we stop him, he might just turn his guns around and attack across the Yangtze!"
Commander-in-Chief Chang gasped, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"So, according to you, we can only watch him steal the spotlight?!"
"Of course not."
Dai Zhijian pointed slyly at the terrain map.
"Since Chen Zijun can launch a Northern Expedition, why can't our Nanjing Central Government form a Central Army for a Northern Expedition? We are the legitimate successors!"
"Principal, today we are officially issuing the 'Central Order for the Second Northern Expedition'! We order the First and Second Armies to select three elite divisions to form the 'Central Vanguard Army for the Northern Expedition', which will march north simultaneously with Chen's army!"
"Even...ahead of Chen's army!"