20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 665 Fully Fledged
"My father is Zhang Xiaokun" - so straightforward, so simple, it doesn't seem like something a military man would do at all.

This situation even made Jiang Lianheng a little dazed.

As expected, things are unpredictable. Just twenty years ago, Zhang Xiaokun was just a small foreman who fawned and servilely followed the Russians around all day long. But now he has turned the tables and become the adopted parent of these White Russian officers.

This is a plot that only appears in historical novels. Even if "Chuangxiaping" were writing it, he would probably have to think carefully about how to make it complete and perfect.

Moreover, during this period, Zhang Xiaokun even left the outside of the Great Wall for ten years.

He has just returned to Northeast China, and it has been only a little over a year now, but he has already transformed into a dragon. With a wave of his hand, people flock to him. Even the dilapidated White Russian soldiers have been recruited under his command. The fact that he has such appeal is enough to show that he was not just fooling around in northern Manchuria, and he must have carefully built up a lot of connections.

Having said that, the word "Dad" was still a bit exaggerated, which made Jiang Lianheng stunned.

Seeing this, the guard came over and whispered, "Boss Jiang, please don't laugh at me. General Zhang treats them well. It's not too much to call him 'Dad'."

"I can see that!" Jiang Lianheng nodded.

Liu Kuaitui was very surprised.

The last time he went back to Ning'an County, there were no White Russian officers. Now that he saw them, he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "How are they treated?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the guard said, "We eat coarse grains, but look at them. They have bread, ham, vodka, canned beef, and they can eat as much as they want. Every now and then, they even take them to have fun with foreign girls!"

“Isn’t this too biased?”

"Biased?" The guard smiled and shook his head. "You bastard, don't you see who he is?"

"What's so great about it? He's just a foreigner!" Liu Kuaitui said indignantly.

The guard said, "Oh, that's not what I'm talking about! They are soldiers. They fought a serious war with the red-haired people in the north. Although they didn't win, they were still regular soldiers! We came to join General Zhang, but what do we have in our hands? A five-gun! If you shoot a dog with one shot, the dog will gasp for a long time, wondering why the hell it's not dead. Look at them again!"

Liu Kuaitui looked confused.

"They brought 'water guns'!" The guard counted on his fingers and continued, "hand grenades, mountain guns, field guns, mortars, and even some armored vehicles! You see, they came as an organized unit. If you can get these things for General Zhang, I guarantee you'll eat canned beef every day!"

Liu Kuai Tui lost his temper and really couldn't win.

The guard turned around, smiled and greeted him, saying, "Boss Jiang, please feel free to sit in the room. I have to go out to stand guard, so I will leave you for now."

"Okay, okay, you go ahead and do your work first!"

Jiang Lianheng watched the guards leave, and after a long while of effort he finally extricated himself from the group of drunkards who were reveling in the revelry, and walked towards the main hall of the general's office.

After pushing open the door, I finally saw several Chinese officers, and the Shandong accent was everywhere.

Everyone was discussing "military affairs" in the house - it was about food and salary arrangements. The solution was simple: play cards!
There are two tables, one for playing mahjong and the other for playing Pai Gow.

In addition to the military officers, there were also several wealthy merchants in the county, all of whom were familiar faces. They were old unlucky guys, and their first priority when visiting the general's office was to lose money.

It is not known how much they lost, but Boss Pei and his colleagues were already sweating.

When Zhang Xiaokun was around, these officers at least restrained themselves and at least looked like military personnel; when Zhang Xiaokun was not around, their true colors were immediately revealed, and they were like wild horses that had broken free from their reins, unrestrained by any constraints.

The card game was in full swing and no one noticed the door opening and closing.

Jiang Lianheng tiptoed around and came behind Boss Pei. He happened to see him raise his hand and touch the cards, which turned out to be a big hand. However, he did not dare to call it a win. After hesitating for a long time, he finally opened the card and bet 20,000. As soon as the dominoes fell, he hit the opponent and lost several hundred dollars on the spot.

"Oh my, Boss Pei is really a living Buddha!" ​​The officer from the other side smiled and said, "Look, there's a card with a single chapter. I'm waiting for your chapter worth 20,000! Give me the money, give me the money!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly looked up and saw that it was Jiang Lianheng. He hurriedly asked, "My dear, Boss Jiang, when did you come back?"

Boss Pei also turned around and immediately begged, "Boss Jiang, come and play for a while. I have something to do at home!"

"No need." Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "I'm just here to take a look and will leave after sitting for a while."

The officer was busy shuffling the cards, and responded casually: "General Zhang will probably be back the day after tomorrow. Boss Jiang, please take a seat. There is tea here. We won't be polite with you. Please make yourself at ease!" Suddenly he looked at Boss Pei and laughed, "Old Pei, don't try to run away. Just sit still. We agreed to play until dawn, so you can't go back on your word!"

Boss Pei had no choice but to admit defeat and lose the money.

Jiang Lianheng sat for a while as invited, but finally felt bored. After a while, he found an excuse, got up and said goodbye, and left General Ning'an's office.

Although he only waited for a moment, he gradually noticed a clue from everyone's conversation:
The entire Ning'an General's Office, whether they were White Russian officers or Chinese staff, all of them came for Zhang Xiaokun.

In other words, they only recognize Zhang Xiaokun.

Although it nominally belonged to the First Brigade of the Jilin Provincial Frontier Defense Army of the Fengtian clique, it actually had a strong color of private army; just like the Fengtian Army to the Beiyang, it could only be regarded as a side branch; the same was probably true for Zhang Xiaokun's troops.

Late at night, on the way back to the hotel, Jiang Lianheng suddenly remembered the advice Hu Xiaoyan gave him before leaving:

A gentleman makes friends but does not form factions. He should never let his brotherhood lead him to get bogged down in the factional struggles within the Fengtian clique.

Jiang Lianheng's actions certainly have nothing to do with the word "gentleman", but the principle behind them is the same...

…………

Two days later, Zhang Xiaokun returned to Ning'an County as scheduled.

The camp in the suburbs of the county was suddenly overcrowded, and soldiers with guns could be seen patrolling back and forth everywhere in the streets.

Upon hearing that Jiang Lianheng had also returned to Ning'an, Zhang Xiaokun immediately ordered the road to be closed and sent a car to pick him up; just like when Jiang Lianheng had just returned to Fengtian and was at the end of his rope, Jiang Lianheng had treated him warmly; now that he was on the rise and had never owed him anything, he ordered the officers and soldiers to clear the way, which was considered a great respect for Jiang Lianheng, causing the entire county to be very nervous.

The car went around and around and finally arrived at the General's Office in the west of the city.

The door stained with vermilion lacquer opened, just like a curtain on a stage slowly unfolding.

Zhang Xiaokun was standing in the middle of the courtyard, with a cigar in his mouth, his hands on his hips, standing at ease, his boots shining, and his whole appearance majestic and proud, like a general. Who would have thought that just two months ago, he was just a military police battalion commander, under the banner of the Fengtian First Division, but in fact he was just a commander without troops?
How many people does he have under him now?
I'm afraid there are more than 18,000 people!

"Oh, brother, we've been waiting for you to come back!" Zhang Xiaokun strode over, hugged Jiang Lianheng, and laughed loudly, "I heard from my comrade that you played a role in finding out the whereabouts of the culprit of the 'Anti-Feng Army'!"

Seeing that Zhang Xiaokun's confidants were all around him, Jiang Lianheng called out "Big Brother" and said, "I only helped a little bit. It mainly depends on Captain Liu to report in time. Intelligence is important, and delivering intelligence is even more important. If it can't be delivered in time, I'm afraid it will all be in vain in the end!"

He does not seek credit but does not take it too seriously, and he takes good care of everyone.

When Liu Kuaitui heard this, his gratitude was beyond words.

Zhang Xiaokun praised him a few times on the spot, hinting that he had a chance of promotion. Then he turned around and said with a smile: "Brother, look, I've said it before, if we two brothers are together, we will definitely achieve great things!"

"I don't deserve it!" Jiang Lianheng said hurriedly, "Brother, I am at most the icing on the cake. Now that so many people have come to seek refuge with you, it all comes down to you being the capable one!"

As he spoke, he suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, you have at least one division under your command now, right?"

"Oh, how would I know!" Zhang Xiaokun waved his hands randomly.

Jiang Lianheng was startled and a little embarrassed, and quickly changed his words: "Yes, yes, yes, this is a matter of national and military importance, it's my fault for talking too much."

Zhang Xiaokun blinked his eyes, suddenly realizing what was going on. He then laughed out loud, "Brother, you're being too suspicious. Could I be hiding something from you? I really don't know how many people I have under my command now!"

"Huh? Don't know?"

"I really don't know, I haven't checked!"

"No, wait a minute." Jiang Lianheng hurriedly pulled Zhang Xiaokun aside and asked in a low voice, "Brother, how could you not know how many people you have under your command? Aren't you afraid that they will collude to cheat you and get paid for nothing?"

"Well, just eat if you want!" Zhang Xiaokun didn't care. "If they want to be greedy, let them be a little greedy. As long as they are loyal to me, that's enough! Besides, isn't being an official meant to make money? Otherwise, why would they follow me to govern the country and ensure its security? They have to be that kind of person!"

If the water is clear, there will be no fish.

Jiang Lianheng is also a businessman, so he naturally understands this principle, but the two cannot be equated after all.

"Brother, you are a general. If this kind of thing is found out, let's not talk about how serious the crime is. What if Marshal Zhang asks you to lead troops to fight one day, and you can't mobilize so many people..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Xiaokun interrupted with a smile, "Brother, you don't understand war, it's normal to eat empty salaries! As long as we can win the battle, no one will care about these trivial matters! Those who always have an army of 100,000 are pure nonsense, they are just making trouble. When it comes to the real battle, there are usually only 18,000 people, and more are just to make up the numbers. I have the Russians under my command now, as long as I put them in order, there will be no problem. Besides, the old man loves me so much now, why would he punish me!"

The "old man" he was referring to was naturally Marshal Zhang.

Zhang Xiaokun suddenly narrowed his eyes and continued, "Besides, I still have you, brother!"

"I?"

"Yes, you have so many connections in Fengtian, and you can talk to the old man directly. If there is a strict investigation in the future, why don't you just give me a message in advance?"

Zhang Xiaokun smiled to himself, but Jiang Lianheng felt a tightness in his heart when he heard it.

The Jiang family has deep roots in Fengtian, and has extensive contacts in both the military and political circles, so there is no need to elaborate on their connections. As long as it does not involve top-secret documents of the General Headquarters, as long as they want to find out about other things such as provincial government news, military transfers, and gossip, they will most likely be able to find out about it first.

But that was only for the official support of their own business, not for taking sides in political struggles. If they had to take sides, the Jiang family would naturally stand on Marshal Zhang's side.

"Brother, you won't refuse my agreement for such a small matter, right?" Zhang Xiaokun was still talking to himself.

Jiang Lianheng came to his senses and nodded quickly, saying, "Don't worry, brother. I'll do my best."

"Look, it's people like us who are in the underworld who are loyal. Those bastards in the capital are so cunning and cunning that we can't make friends with them!"

Zhang Xiaokun was happy. He put his hands on Jiang Lianheng's shoulders, looked around, and asked with a smile, "Brother, how is it? Did you suffer any injustice on this trip to Laoyeling?"

"No, no, thanks to my brother's care, everything goes well."

"Tell me if you have any grievances. If bandits dare to rob your goods again, just send me a telegram and I will send people to kill them immediately. Damn it, they are bullying my brothers. I won't tolerate it!"

Jiang Lianheng had no doubt about his elder brother's impassioned speech.

Zhang Xiaokun is definitely not a good person, but it is an indisputable fact that he is a righteous man. Otherwise, he would not have been able to gain so much support.

"I'm going to have a dinner party tonight. I'll introduce you to some friends." He said, "And I'll help you -- and us -- negotiate some business deals. Don't worry, it's a sure win!"

"Okay, okay. Thank you for your care, big brother." Jiang Lianheng agreed casually, his voice a little empty, his mind had already flown elsewhere unknowingly.

"But before that, I have something else I want to discuss with you." Zhang Xiaokun was a little suspicious. He looked around and suddenly grabbed Jiang Lianheng's arm and said, "It's not convenient here. Let's go inside and talk!"

He walked into the government office and found an empty room to sit down.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what's so mysterious?"

Zhang Xiaokun pinched his nose twice, took out a cigar from the drawer and handed it to Jiang Lianheng. He suddenly sighed and said, "Brother, let me tell you the truth. Recruiting soldiers is difficult, and maintaining them is even more difficult. Although I am not sure how many people I have under my command, there is one thing I am very clear about. The old man gave me the number of a brigade, and the military pay is naturally paid by my full brigade. But you can see that the military pay of a brigade is not enough to support all these soldiers of mine."

"Brother, in my opinion, you should take some time to verify it carefully," Jiang Lianheng advised kindly.

Zhang Xiaokun shook his head and immediately retorted with a great truth: "Brother, saving money is not as good as increasing income!"

"What's the point of just verifying?" Zhang Xiaokun continued, "I don't just want a brigade of troops. If you want to know how many I want, I can only say: Han Xin selected soldiers, the more the better."

Jiang Lianheng himself was a big spender, so he naturally agreed with the idea that “saving money is worse than increasing revenue”. “But Suining is too remote. It’s a border area after all. There are no big cities. Several important hubs of the Northeast Railway are not here. It’s difficult to increase revenue.”

Zhang Xiaokun smiled in a cryptic way, but before long, he couldn't help but speak frankly:

"Brother, Suining is located in the frontier, which has both advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on how you use it. I won't talk nonsense with you. To tell you the truth, I plan to find some land in the jurisdiction and grow opium to expand military expenditures, but it is not easy for me to directly come forward for this matter, so I plan to ask you to help underwrite it when the time comes. What do you think, brother?"

(End of this chapter)