20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 724 The storm rises again
That autumn, there were two major events in the Jiang family.

The first thing is about Jiang Ya. The girl is in middle school, Fengtian Provincial Girls’ Middle School.

According to the school system in Fengtian, students usually have to be twelve years old to enter junior high school from elementary school. However, Jiang Ya came from a wealthy family with money and free time, so he entered school a year earlier.

Now, the girl has wasted twelve years and passed the entrance examination, so entering middle school has become a natural thing.

Although Jiang Chengye is only a few months younger than his sister, the age difference between them is so great that his plans to continue his studies were postponed for a year.

This matter was originally nothing, but to the Jiang family, it was of extraordinary significance.

In the family, apart from Jiang Ya, there is no one else who has studied for so many years.

After high school, the next step is university; so after graduating from high school, you should be considered half an intellectual, right?

Everyone thought so, and Jiang Lianheng was no exception. In recent days, when he went out for a stroll, he would brag to everyone he met: "Look at my daughter, she is almost as good as her father. After all, she comes from a family of scholars and has a long history of learning!"

Of course, Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan were not the only ones who were happy. Other elders in the family also regarded the advancement to higher education as a great achievement.

Dongnanxibei, Xu Ruqing, Xue Yingqing, Zhao Guoyan, Sister Hua... when everyone saw Jiang Ya, they all praised her.

Apart from Jiang and Hu, the person who was most pleased about the girl's further education was Zhang Zhengdong, her "book boy" who accompanied her day and night.

A month before the first school term started, Zhang Zhengdong bought his niece a new school bag, pencil case and notebook. He even went to a foreign company and spent a few dollars to buy a Western fountain pen as a gift for his niece to go to higher education.

Jiang Ya was naturally overjoyed. She quickly put on her schoolbag, held her books and pen, and walked around in front of Uncle Dong, smiling and asking, "How is it?"

Zhang Zhengdong was quiet and only rubbed his hands, nodded and smiled: "Very good, very good."

In comparison, my second uncle Nanfeng seems much more talkative.

Wang Zhengnan was very perceptive. After complimenting her for a few times, he began to speak earnestly, "Niece, you will be considered half-educated in the future, and you still have to work hard. I, your second uncle, have never been to school, and I don't know what is taught in school, but there is one thing, you must not fall behind in foreign languages. Now the world is dominated by foreigners, and those who can speak foreign languages ​​are very popular. Let me tell you this, if your second uncle knew foreign languages, we would not be like this now. Anyway, you can believe me, and you will be right."

Jiang Ya was impatient and frowned as she said, "Oh, you're the only one nagging! Didn't Fourth Aunt teach me Russian and French all the time? How could I forget?"

"Well, it's always good to have many skills. You should learn English as well! Besides, you were born in Fengtian, so you should also be able to speak a few words of Japanese. It won't hurt!"

"I can speak Japanese!"

"Is it?"

"idiot!"

"Hey, girl, you start cursing your second uncle as soon as you open your mouth?" Wang Zhengnan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. When it came to talking, he was really no match for his eldest niece.

Li Zhengxi was honest. He was afraid that his niece would be bullied in middle school because of her young age, so he encouraged her and said, "Niece, don't be timid when you go to school. If someone bullies you, tell your uncle and I will help you solve the problem!"

Jiang Ya blinked and said, "Uncle San, I'm going to a girls' middle school! Why, do you still want to beat up girls?"

"Uh... well, well..." Li Zhengxi was embarrassed for a moment and said quickly, "Then I'll ask your third aunt to help you tickle them!"

Jiang Ya pouted, looking unappreciative, and muttered quietly: "My third aunt is still pregnant, and you don't even know how to feel sorry for her!"

As he said that, he turned to look at Zhao Zhengbei who had just returned home, and asked with a smile: "Fourth Uncle, my third aunt is about to give birth, when will you find me a fourth aunt?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Zhengbei was stunned, and waved his hands quickly, saying, "Niece, please help your uncle, and stop worrying about my affairs."

Jiang Ya refused, and suddenly came forward, put her hands on Uncle Si's ears, and said with a smile: "Uncle Si, can I help you see if there are any good-looking female teachers in our school?"

"You little brat!" Zhao Zhengbei was helpless and quickly stood up and walked towards the stairs, "Brother Dong, you guys chat, I'll go upstairs to talk to my brother and sister-in-law."

Everyone watched Bei Feng walk towards the second floor. Knowing that he was busy with military affairs, no one tried to stop him.

The discussion about further studies lasted for more than half a month in the Jiang family. Although all the family members joined in the fun, in the final analysis, Jiang Ya was the most excited person.

The girl felt excited, not because of the vanity brought by further studies, but because she suddenly felt that she was already a big kid. She had more and more ideas in her head, and she was getting more and more eager to put those ideas into practice. But if someone asked her what her ideas were, she was always confused and couldn't say it.

All in all, she felt that she should not be treated as a child anymore, and at least she should be distinguished from her brother.

To be frank, in his sister's eyes, Jiang Chengye is now just an ignorant little brat!

Normally, when eating at home, everyone had to wait for Jiang Lianheng to come to the table, except Jiang Ya, who would occasionally nudge her brother with her elbow and say, "Chengye, if you're hungry, eat first!"

Jiang Chengye didn't dare: "Sister, Dad hasn't come down yet!"

Jiang Ya waved her hands and said, "Oh, it's okay, you are a child, eat it!"

All these things often make people laugh.

In fact, in the eyes of the elders, Jiang Chengye is prudent and steady, more like a big child.

Over the years, as the brother and sister grew older, it seemed natural that they were no longer as close to each other as they were when they were children.

Most girls are precocious, and Jiang Ya is even more so. She always feels that her younger brother is dull and knows nothing.

In contrast, whenever she had nothing to do, she preferred to hang out with Hai Xinnian. At least this brother of a different surname had mountain legends to entertain her. He was nothing like Jiang Chengye, who only read books all day and didn't seem to have any other hobbies.

On the other hand, Jiang Chengye is no longer like when he was a child, running behind his sister all day long and always coming like a follower.

Chengye likes quietness. When he has nothing to do, he just sits in the house, flipping through books, reading comic books, and practicing calligraphy.

Nowadays, with the new-style education, fountain pens are being promoted throughout the country, but ever since he got a cheap inkstone at the Lantern Festival that year, Jiang Chengye began to use these little gadgets to entertain himself.

His family didn't hire a teacher to teach him, so he just wrote, stroke by stroke. Although his writing was neat, it was not calligraphy at all. The only person who could give him some advice was his great aunt Xu Ruqing.

Because of this, Jiang Chengye's handwriting appears more delicate, as if it was written by a girl.

Jiang Lianheng occasionally saw it, and although he was very pleased, he said: "It is beautiful, but it lacks a bit of momentum and courage. Look, Dad wrote two lines for you..."

It was done in one go and it was really impressive, except for two typos.

Jiang Chengye knew his father had made a mistake, but he didn't say anything. He waited until his father left before he quietly picked up his pen and corrected it...

…………

Let's not talk about the trivial family matters for now, let's just talk about the second major event of the Jiang family. This event is about the current situation. At the beginning of September in the new calendar, Marshal Lu, the only member of the Anhui clique, was suddenly attacked from both the north and south by Jiangsu and Fujian provinces, and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War broke out.

The Anhui clique in Zhejiang Province was surrounded by the Zhili Army and suffered a crushing defeat. In less than a month, Marshal Lu, who was once a powerful figure in the Jiangzuo area, had lost his power and territory. He had no choice but to flee to the Shanghai Concession in disgrace and resign. It seemed that Wu Xiucai's vision of unification by force was about to be achieved.

However, the Fengtian, Anhui and Guangdong alliances, although far apart from each other, are well aware of the principle of "the lips and the teeth are cold". How could they sit idly by?
Therefore, that very month, Marshal Zhang immediately assembled a total of 170,000 troops from the three northeastern provinces, divided them into five routes, and once again marched into the pass, aiming at the capital, intending to compete for the Central Plains.

Wu Xiucai was no less capable than others. He quickly mobilized a total of 200,000 troops from the six northern provinces, deployed them along the line from Shanhaiguan to Rehe, and held the position to consolidate the capital.

The last time the Zhi and Feng armies fought, the Feng army was badly defeated and the Zhi army took over the world.

This time, although Wu Xiucai had heard of "reorganizing the army", he still took it for granted that the Fengtian Army was still a group of rabble and that the Guandong horse bandits could be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

As a result, as soon as the two sides started fighting, the Zhi army immediately felt that the situation was not good.

The changes in the Fengtian Army were already evident from the initial artillery test.

The most obvious difference is the range of artillery fire. The Fengtian Army's artillery shells can hit the Zhili Army's positions, but the Zhili Army's artillery shells cannot reach the Fengtian Army's front line.

An inch longer, an inch stronger, and this already makes a difference.

Moreover, the Fengtian Army is no longer like the first time the war started, relying solely on bravery and without any plan. Now they have learned how to fight in three dimensions by sea, land and air.

On the other hand, Marshal Zhang appointed people based on their abilities and no longer relied on his old buddies. Instead, he began to use newcomers to fight.

Among the Five Tiger Generals of the Fengtian Army, except for Zhang Xiaokun, the other four were not proficient in military tactics, but at least they were much stronger than those bandit officers. Even if Zhang Xiaokun did not know how to use troops, the White Russian officers under his command were experienced in many battles and were veterans who had seen big scenes. Naturally, they should not be underestimated.

Among all the warlords in the Far East, Fengtian generals were the most devoted to the "weapons-only theory". They not only established local military industries in Fengtian, but also secretly imported weapons and equipment from Vladivostok many times.

A closer look at the Fengtian Army's various troops revealed that the soldiers carried Japanese rifles on their shoulders, their mules and horses pulled Italian cannons, they flew French planes in the sky, and they ran armored vehicles on the ground. All regimental-level officers in each unit were graduates of military academies, and there were even a number of Japanese officers hidden among them serving as staff officers.

In contrast, the Zhi army seemed to be facing many difficulties.

These difficulties not only came from the Fengtian Army, but more from within the Zhili Army.

After the First Zhi-Feng War, Marshal Zhang closed the border and governed himself, reorganized the army, and rested and recuperated; Wu Xiucai was not idle, and was always busy with the unification by force. His troops traveled around and fought in almost half of the Far East. The soldiers were not only exhausted after years of fighting, but also because of the tight finances of the capital, the troops were repeatedly in arrears of wages, and their fighting spirit was extremely weak.

What's even more terrible is that after Wu Xiucai defeated Feng Zhang, he had a very high opinion of himself and behaved in a domineering and overbearing manner. All the generals in the Zhi army, unless they were his direct subordinates, were inevitably suppressed.

People's hearts are scattered, and one side gains while the other loses.

No matter how powerful the Zhi army is, it cannot overcome the internal and external troubles.

The two sides lined up at Shanhaiguan, and the situation was stabilized only because Wu Xiucai personally supervised the battle. However, as the fighting went on, the Fengtian Army took advantage of its geographical location, the arsenals in the three northeastern provinces were fully operational, and guns, ammunition, and food supplies were continuously transported to the front line. The Zhi Army finally could not withstand the attack and gradually showed signs of decline.

However, the Zhi army is the Zhi army.

The Beiyang orthodoxy was not exaggerated. Although Wu Xiucai's troops were in a losing position and showed no signs of turning defeat into victory, they were still able to hold the front line and remain undisrupted. Although the Fengtian Army had the upper hand, its main force still failed to advance into the Central Plains as they had hoped.

If the consumption continues in this way, the Zhi army will certainly be defeated, but the Feng army will probably only win a miserable victory.

Both sides suffer losses, who benefits?
It was at this time that the Zhi army encountered the same situation as the Feng army in the first Zhi-Feng War - some of their own troops defected.

Yes, General Feng has "rebelled" again.

At the critical moment, Feng Jun stabbed Wu Xiucai in the back. Not only did he lead his troops into the capital and overthrow President Cao, he also telegraphed the whole country to remove Wu Xiucai from all his posts.

For a time, the morale of the Zhili army was in chaos, and the Fengtian army took advantage of the situation to march into the pass and disarmed the main force of the Zhili army like a landslide.

Everyone says: Without General Feng, Marshal Zhang would not have won this battle.

But if there had been no Marshal Zhang, the Zhi army had not suffered a fierce attack on the front line, and General Feng would probably not have dared to stab Scholar Wu in the back. They were all just deceiving each other and taking advantage of each other.

This war shocked the whole country.

This matter concerns the situation in the world, and it was not originally the Jiang family's turn to worry about it. However, because Zhao Zhengbei served in the Fengtian Army, it became a major matter that the Jiang family was concerned about.

If there is someone in the military in the family, the family will definitely be concerned about the war.

The Jiang family was no exception, but this time it was different. Zhao Zhengbei was already a regimental-level officer. Although he could not decide life and death, he was at least qualified to report his safety to his family.

Long before the war broke out, when the Fengtian Army had just begun to deploy, Bei Feng had already gone home to say goodbye.

Hu Xiaoyan asked him where he was going this time?

Zhao Zhengbei said that his regiment was incorporated into the Fourth Army Group and was about to go to Jinzhou in western Liaoning as the Fengtian Army's general reserve force, ready to be deployed at any time.

Hu Xiaoyan smiled knowingly and said calmly, "It's good this way. At least you are a regiment leader now. You have a fixed number. If your family wants to find out about you, they won't have to look around blindly."

This is indeed the case.

During the Zhi-Feng War, Zhao Zhengbei's troops did not go to the front line. Even after the war broke out, he still had time in Jinzhou to send telegrams to his family to report his safety.

Once the war broke out, Hu Xiaoyan read the special issues and extra editions of various newspapers every day, keeping a close eye on the war situation. Occasionally, when she received a letter from Beifeng, she would tell everyone about it during dinner.

The war lasted for more than a month.

By the end of late autumn, when the north wind began to rise, news of the Fengtian Army's victory had spread quickly in the provincial capital.

Soon after, Zhao Zhengbei also sent a letter to his family, saying that he was now ordered to station troops in a certain place in Tianjin, and that the information involved confidential information and could not be disclosed.

After reading it, Hu Xiaoyan finally felt relieved.

Since ancient times, few people have returned from wars. It’s good enough to be safe.

Of course, it wasn't just the Jiang family that felt fortunate. The entire military family in Fengtian seemed to have felt relieved.

The Fengtian Army returned victoriously, and the provincial capital should prepare to hold celebrations.

However, no one expected that before the news of Fengtian Army's victory had time to be properly publicized, a shocking piece of news would quickly sweep across the country overnight.

General Feng announced the abolition of the "Regulations on the Favorable Treatment of the Qing Dynasty", and the abdicated emperor of the Qing Dynasty was driven out of the Forbidden City...

(End of this chapter)