20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 706: Battles in the South and North
The Northern Expedition is the same as the Southern Expedition?

Ye Jingtian's words were incoherent, just judgments without any evidence, which made people confused.

After hearing this, everyone was stunned and pondered for a moment, but still couldn't understand it, so they all laughed and said, "Mr. Ye's words are very profound and quite mysterious."

"Mysterious?" Ye Jingtian shook his head. "No, it's an obvious fact!"

Jiang Lianheng didn't react, so he asked, "But the southern expedition and the northern expedition are two completely different directions, how can they be the same thing?"

Ye Jingtian sighed and said, "Nowadays, the Anhui clique is doomed to fail. The only warlords who can make a difference in the country are the three factions of Zhili, Fengtian and Guangdong..."

"and many more!"

Before he finished speaking, Mr. Jiang Er interrupted, "Isn't that right? I usually read the newspapers, and they say that things have just stabilized there. In recent years, the South Country has been in chaos. What can they achieve?"

"The past is the past, and the present is the present." Ye Jingtian said, turning his wine glass, "The Guangdong Army has made new moves recently, and I'm afraid it's no longer the same as before."

Chen Guojin laughed out loud, patted Ye Jingtian on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Ye, I have finally figured it out. You think too highly of them! The Guangdong Army has been clamoring for a northern expedition for years, but there has been no movement for several years. I think no one believes their stuff now!"

After he finished speaking, Jiang Lianheng and Jiang Erye just smiled but said nothing.

What Chen Guojin said is true.

In recent years, the Guangdong Army has indeed not been fully developed.

Ordinary people only recognize real power. After the Hongxian farce, warlords from all over the country competed for supremacy. The Zhi, Feng and Anhui armies took turns to be the boss. The Guangdong Army was limited in strength and was not qualified to join the competition.

Over time, it is inevitable that people will look down on it.

After all, even if one has great ambitions, they will become weaker and weaker after the first one and exhausted after the third one. Slogans are shouted too frequently and people become numb.

Not to mention the oath to march north, even within the Guangdong Army there were numerous factions and struggles openly and covertly - with such a current situation and strength, how could the people of the world be convinced?
However, Ye Jingtian said: "Actually, these are not important. The most important reason why the Guangdong Army was not successful before was the lack of funds."

"They are fighting among themselves, who can they blame?" Chen Guojin still looked disdainful.

"Hey, you can't say that!" Ye Jingtian retorted, "War is a waste of money. In today's world, which warlord doesn't have the support of the great powers behind him? Without the loans and assistance from the great powers, who can stand up?"

This is an indisputable fact.

Feng Zhang had Japan behind them, and Zhi Wu had Britain and the United States behind them. Although they were not at the mercy of the great powers, they were always subject to their control.

"That's the problem. Zhili and Fengtian both have the support of the great powers, but the Southern Kingdom does not!"

Ye Jingtian went on to say: "Today, Japan supports Marshal Zhang, Britain and the United States help Wu Xiucai, but the Guangdong Army is isolated and helpless, so they are naturally not the same."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded silently. They really couldn't find any fault with it.

"but--"

Ye Jingtian smiled and said, "The situation is different now. Britain, the United States and Japan are sitting back and doing nothing. Naturally, someone else will intervene and support us."

"Maozi?" Jiang Lianheng asked subconsciously.

"Boss Jiang is very insightful!" Ye Jingtian gave a thumbs up. "Yes, it is the Russians, and their support... forget it, let's call it aid! In short, the North's aid to the South is very strong, and it has been more frequent recently. I heard that it seems to help build a military school!"

Mr. Jiang frowned and muttered to himself, "But, didn't the newspaper say that Chi..."

"Second Master, you are confused!" Ye Jingtian interrupted, "You can't disbelieve the news in the newspaper, but you can't believe it completely either. Who knows whether it's true or false?"

He adjusted his sitting position and then brought the topic back to the topic.

"Everyone, you are all from outside the Great Wall. You should know more about the actions of the Russians in the three northeastern provinces during the Boxer Rebellion than I do. Anyway, I only believe in one sentence: those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Would the Russians be so kind as to help us enrich our country and strengthen our people regardless of gains and losses?"

Everyone shook their heads desperately without any hesitation.

"Isn't that the end?" Ye Jingtian spread his hands. "The Russians are aiding the South. If the Northern Expedition succeeds, they will inevitably turn to the North. It seems to be from the south to the north, but in fact it is from the north to the south. From a macro perspective, what else can it be but a southern expedition?"

Everyone suddenly realized that this was how he saw it.

Ye Jingtian went on to say, "One day, the Northern Expedition Army will point its swords to the outside of the Great Wall, approach the city of Fengtian, and then respond to the north from afar. Will Marshal Zhang still be able to sit firmly in his position? Now the Feng-Yue alliance is nothing but nurturing a tiger to cause trouble."

Jiang Lianheng was in deep thought and didn't speak for a long time.

Chen Guojin, however, didn't seem to care at all. He curled his lips and said, "Brother Ye, you are the kind of person who loves to boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige! You are allowed to brag about the Northern Expedition Army. What a bunch of rotten fish and shrimp, not even enough to fill the gaps in the teeth of our Fengtian Army. Do you think the Fengtian Army is still the same as it was two years ago?"

Ye Jingtian did not argue, and it seemed that there was nothing to argue about.

Yes, judging from the current situation, the Fengtian Army may be stronger, but who can tell what will happen in the future?
Fengtian reorganized its army and its strength increased dramatically in just two years.

God knows how much the Cantonese and Yue army will have changed in two years?
Mr. Jiang smacked his lips and muttered softly, "But if it's really like what Mr. Ye said, the Japanese won't just sit there and watch, right?"

"Of course!" Ye Jingtian said with a smile, "Perhaps, the Russo-Japanese War will be fought again!" Jiang Erye glared and said, "Don't! Good fellow, the two of them are addicted to fighting, can't they go to another place to mess around!"

"Don't worry, there won't be a fight!" Chen Guojin said confidently, "The north is in chaos! The Russians are no longer the same as they were before. If they start fighting now, we won't be able to get angry with them, not to mention that there are Japanese people here!"

Ye Jingtian still did not argue, but turned to look at Jiang Lianheng and said with a smile: "I would like to ask Boss Jiang's opinion."

"I?"

Having said that, Jiang Lianheng actually realized that Ye Jingtian in front of him was definitely not just a businessman, judging from his previous remarks.

When Marshal Zhang celebrated his birthday, among the guests who came to Fengtian to celebrate were not only representatives from various provinces, but also spies from various provinces.

Among them, some spies lurk secretly, while some act openly.

After arriving in Fengtian, they either inspected people's livelihood and commerce or visited the arsenals in the three northeastern provinces, all for the purpose of gathering intelligence.

This is not a secret.

Marshal Zhang originally wanted to take the opportunity to show his sword, so he did not strictly check the guests who came to celebrate his birthday.

However, Ye Jingtian had no official identity, so Jiang Lianheng was a little unsure of the other party's true intentions.

After hesitating for a moment, he laughed out loud and said, "Mr. Ye is indeed well-informed. I am really stunned by your profound remarks. However, what you just said is too general. There have been rumors in the newspapers that the North has aided the South, but how it aided, how much money was given, how many guns were given, and what plans were made. I don't know any of these details. What can I think of it? My opinion is not important. Instead, I would like to take this opportunity today to ask Mr. Ye for your guidance!"

Ye Jingtian waved his hand and said, "Boss Jiang, I am a businessman. I heard all this from hearsay. How dare I mislead others!"

Jiang Lianheng's eyes rolled, he heard the hidden meaning, so he stopped asking questions, picked up his wine glass, changed the subject, and invited everyone to drink together.

After finishing their drinks, everyone chatted for a while.

Jiang Lianheng took the opportunity to ask, "Where did you go during your visit to Fengtian, Mr. Ye?"

Ye Jingtian replied: "To be honest with Boss Jiang, I came here in a hurry. Yesterday, Brother Chen lost something, so I didn't have time to go shopping in the provincial capital!"

"Oh, then you've found the right person!" Mr. Jiang took over the conversation and said with a smile, "Our boss Jiang is a leading figure in Fengtian's business community. Just walk around the streets of this provincial capital, and you'll find that all the high-end entertainment venues are owned by Boss Jiang!"

"Oh? Then I have to ask Boss Jiang to give me a discount!"

"Sure, sure!" Jiang Lianheng agreed immediately, "I'll pay for your food and drinks in the provincial capital for the next few days!"

"No, no, no, that's not appropriate!"

"If there's anything inappropriate, let's just be friends!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Guojin followed up with a smile: "Brother Ye, you don't have to be polite to him. Boss Jiang has plenty of money!"

Mr. Jiang also wanted to take advantage of the situation, so he praised Jiang Lianheng a lot.

Everyone drank happily until dusk, then broke up.

Jiang Lianheng was slightly tipsy, with the evening breeze blowing on his face. When he got on the car to return to his mansion in the north of the city, it was already getting dark.

Yuan Xinfa and the others opened the door, then came to the side of the car, leaned over, and whispered a reminder: "Boss, the little apprentice of the big flagpole is still in the lower gatehouse!"

Jiang Lianheng nodded, got out of the car and asked, "Have you treated me well?"

"I had enough to eat and drink, and even took a nap in the afternoon!"

"Well, take me to see him."

As Jiang Lianheng spoke, he walked towards the row of gatehouses on the west side of the courtyard.

There are three gatehouses in total. Although they are not large in size, each room has a large bunk bed. They are usually used as residences for the bodyguards who guard the house during their night shifts.

Although the interior decoration of the house is simple, it has all the necessary facilities.

When they reached the door of the room, Jiang Lianheng suddenly turned around and told Yuan Xinfa and the others, "Just wait for me outside!"

He immediately opened the door and glanced into the room, only to see that it was dark all around. The young disciple with the big flagpole was sitting on the edge of the kang, doing nothing and feeling very nervous.

"Why aren't the lights on?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Yuan Xinfa explained: "It's probably due to poor contact. I've asked someone to find an electrician and it will be fixed tonight."

Hearing the noise at the door, the young disciple immediately jumped up, took a half step back, and tremblingly responded to the door:
"My boss..."

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PS There will be another update today, around 11 o'clock!
(End of this chapter)