newbobooks Chapter 257 The Tiger's Legitimate Descendance
Chapter 257 The Tiger's Legitimate Descendance
"Passing through is permissible; the southeast will not hinder the army's northward advance."
Chen Zijun's tone remained unquestionable.
"But the route must be planned by us, and the Northern Expeditionary Army must not enter the arsenals and core defense areas of the five provinces without authorization."
"Most importantly, all provisions and supplies along the way shall be converted into silver dollars in the southeast and directly allocated to your supply train. Your soldiers are not allowed to seize a single laborer or steal a single grain of rice in the southeast."
"If you violate this rule, don't blame my military police for not showing any consideration for the Northern Expedition."
After listening, Zhou Qiheng could only nod silently.
He originally intended to use the pretext of "ensuring food supplies" to allow the Northern Expeditionary Army to conscript troops locally in the southeast, and incidentally extend his reach into local defense zones.
However, Chen Zijun used the ocean and the route to completely block this move.
This is clearly a case of "obeying orders but not orders."
I'll raise the money myself, raise the soldiers myself, and chart my own course. I'll give you the title and I won't stop you from doing what's right, but if you want to touch my territory, you'd better ask Mawei's 15-inch heavy artillery for permission first.
"Representative Zhou, you don't have to sign this."
Chen Zijun stood up, buttoned up his casual clothes, and remained calm.
"However, the flag flying in the southeast originally belonged to the Beiyang Central Government."
"If these negotiations break down, I don't care. Anyway, the railway tracks in the southeast weren't laid for troop transport vehicles for headquarters."
"Furthermore, Duan Hedao, the Premier of the Beiyang Government, is a good friend of my father and my uncle. Cao Yu, the President of the Beiyang Government, is my father-in-law. Tell me, if I were to establish a Beiyang-affiliated central government in the five southeastern provinces, what would become of the country?"
What should we do?
Doesn't that mean that China will once again fall into a state of division among the three kingdoms?
North China belongs to the Fengtian clique, South and Southwest China belongs to the Nationalist government, and the five southeastern provinces and Central China belong to your Chen family? As for the Northwest, as for Qinghai and Tibet, what about them?
Zhou Qiheng closed his eyes.
He knew that Chen Zijun held the most lethal trump card.
If the Northern Expeditionary Army didn't go through Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it would have no choice but to fight to the death with the old warlords in the west.
If the southeast were to cut off the railway, the Northern Expedition might really be cut short halfway through.
Chiang Kai-shek's roar in Guangzhou was ultimately no match for Chen Zijun's strength.
"I...sign."
Zhou Qiheng uttered those two words with a somewhat withered expression, as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Chen Zijun showed no smugness, only a faint smile.
"President Mo, bring the agreement and have Representative Zhou sign and affix his seal."
A moment later, the pen made a soft scratching sound on the paper.
The moment Zhou Qiheng put pen to paper, he felt as if those few pages weighed an ounce.
What he signed was not an adaptation agreement.
Instead, it was a formal treaty establishing a separatist alliance that divided the five southeastern provinces into half of the country, independent of the southern government.
"Hu Qiankuan, go see Representative Zhou off."
Chen Zijun took the signed document, glanced at it, and then casually handed it to Shen Li.
"Yes."
Zhou Qiheng walked out of the conference room with a dejected expression, surrounded by guards.
Only Chen Zijun, Mo Huixin, and Shen Li remained in the room.
"Young Marshal, if this agreement gets back to Guangzhou, Principal Chiang will probably smash his teacup."
A rare smile appeared on Shen Li's face.
Chen Zijun walked to the window, looked at the dissipating mist outside, and let out a cold laugh:
"Let him throw it. If he had ten million pounds, I'd make him put the special envoy into my First Division today."
"Since he has no money, he has to accept his fate."
Mo Huixin tidied the account books on the table and asked softly:
"Zijun, when will our flag be displayed nationwide?"
Chen Zijun turned around, a cold glint in his eyes:
"Tell all major newspapers to put tomorrow's front page a telegram announcing the change of flags and the protection of the territory and the safety of the people."
"Tell the world that the five southeastern provinces have been reorganized into the Southeastern Army of the National Revolutionary Government to support the Northern Expedition."
"But there's one thing, written down very clearly for me."
"In all defense zones in the southeast, only the Kuomintang flag will be flown; everything else will remain unchanged!"
Shen Li's expression hardened: "Yes!"
Chen Zijun took a deep breath and looked at the sea again:
"We've secured the title, and Chiang Kai-shek's dirty hands have been temporarily kept out."
But that's not enough.
"The people who are most panicked are not the ones in Guangzhou who write official documents."
"Those foreigners in the Shanghai concessions are probably getting restless by now."
Shanghai, Wangping Street.
This street, known as "the street where even the Far East Fleet can't shut up its mouths," is unusually engulfed in a frenzied uproar today.
The printing presses of the major newspaper giants roared non-stop from dawn, the pungent smell of ink mixed with the cool breeze of early autumn, spreading to every corner of the bustling metropolis.
The three giants, *Shen Bao*, *Xinwen Bao*, and *Shi Bao*, have for the first time today united on the front page, their massive, bold black characters practically leaping off the page.
[The Southeast Flag Changes! The Southeast Front Army of the National Revolutionary Army is officially established! Young Marshal Chen sends a telegram to the whole country: Protect the borders and the people, support the Northern Expedition!]
On the second floor of a Western-style cafe on the corner of Wangping Street, Mo Lanzhi and Su Guiying stood side by side behind the blinds, quietly watching the citizens and newspaper boys below rushing to buy newspapers like a tide.
"These writers, they all think they're so high and mighty, but when it comes to collecting our fees, they're more willing than anyone else to do it."
Su Guiying held a cup of black coffee, looking down at the copy of the Shen Bao newspaper that had been snapped up and sold out, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of her lips.
"However, this title is very much to the young marshal's liking. With the words 'Protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people' out, the merchants and gentry of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai can finally feel at ease."
Mo Lanzhi pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, opened the intelligence summary in her hand, and spoke in a clear and capable voice.
"That's for sure. For these businessmen, what does it matter whether the flag flying above their heads is the Five-Colored Flag of the Beiyang Army or the Blue Sky with a White Sun Flag of Guangzhou? As long as our 15-inch heavy cannons are positioned at Wusongkou, and as long as our Chen family army's armored trains are running on the railways in the southeast, their silver dollars are secure. This is what they call truth coming from guns and cannons."
She paused, tapped her finger on another urgent coded telegram from Guangzhou, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"It's said that Principal Chang in Guangzhou smashed three fine Jingdezhen teacups in the confidential room last night. He was hoping to use a title to get our 300,000 elite troops for free, but we got the title and the moral high ground, while Principal Chang couldn't even move a hair in the southeast. This time, the micro-management master has kicked a hornet's nest, losing both his wife and his army."
Su Guiying smiled, a sharp glint in her eyes: "How could Chang Guangtou's little scheme possibly escape the Young Marshal's notice? He has typical Qing Dynasty comprador thinking, always believing that a stamped piece of paper can win people's hearts. However, Guangzhou can only watch helplessly for now; the one who will truly be furious is probably someone else."
Following Su Guiying's gaze, Mo Lanzhi looked towards the Huangpu River not far away, at the International Settlement, where countless Western-style buildings stood.
"Yes," Moranzhi sighed softly, "our fierce tiger can now legally descend from the mountain."