20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 851 Dances with Wolves
Upon hearing this, Yoshida Shigeru pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "As long as Commander-in-Chief Zhang strictly implements the secret agreement and does not issue any decrees prohibiting related transactions, that will suffice."

Neither Yoshinori Shirakawa nor the president of Nanchang Railway Company had any objections to this.

In their view, the Far East economy was like a candle flickering in the wind, already weak and vulnerable. As long as private land transactions were completely liberalized, it would only be a matter of time before the empire completely annexed Manchuria economically.

Old Zhang narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "You see, there's nothing we can't agree on between us old buddies!"

Yoshida Shigeru quickly corrected him, "Commander-in-Chief Zhang, this is diplomacy between countries, please watch your words."

Old Zhang didn't mind at all. He picked up his wine glass and laughed loudly, "Alright, alright, whatever Brother Yoshida says goes. Come on, let's drink!"

The Japanese side didn't want to escalate the situation too much, so they drank a glass with him.

After the strong liquor went down his throat, Old Zhang changed the subject and continued, "If we want to implement the secret agreement, there are a few things that require your cooperation as soon as possible."

"What is it?" Yoshida Shigeru and the others asked, puzzled.

Old Zhang said, "The secret agreement was signed to wipe out the Guo traitor. Now that the war is over and Fengtian is at peace, when does General Bai Chuan plan to withdraw his troops?"

Shirakawa Yoshinori hesitated for a moment, then said, "Military deployment is no child's play. Our army needs to report to the mainland. When we receive the order, we will withdraw in an orderly manner."

"Of course!" Old Zhang asked again, "However, now that Guo Jun has defected, we won't trouble your army with matters concerning the defense of Fengtian. It's not appropriate for so many of your soldiers to be wandering around in the city. Why don't you withdraw from the provincial capital as soon as possible and relocate your troops to the suburbs?"

"is this necessary?"

"I think it's very necessary!"

"Commander-in-Chief Zhang, are you planning to abandon me after I've served my purpose?" Shirakawa Yoshinori asked rhetorically.

"Hahaha, how could that be?" Old Zhang quickly raised his wine glass, taking a sip while carefully considering his next words. "Having your army help guard the provincial capital is something I'd be more than happy to do, but to be honest, I'm doing this for your own good!"

Shirakawa Yoshinori remained unmoved, clearly not believing Old Zhang's nonsense.

As a senior diplomat, Shigeru Yoshida considered things more carefully and asked, "What benefits would this bring to our side?"

Old Zhang sighed and said, "I'm afraid that public resentment will boil over. If your military, police, and secret agents don't withdraw as soon as possible, and if they incite anti-Japanese sentiment among the people, and force me to resign, how can I carry out the secret agreement we signed earlier?"

Shigeru Yoshida frowned in response.

Having worked in diplomacy in the Far East for many years, he had never seen a warlord resign by telegram due to public opinion. They all resigned gracefully only after losing on the battlefield and finding an excuse to do so.

However, he also knew that recently, the Japanese police and military had taken over the security of the provincial capital, causing great panic and dissatisfaction among the merchants and residents of Fengtian.

This discontent could be quelled and tolerated when Guo's army was pressing in, but now that Guo has been defeated and killed, there is no common enemy left, and the conflict between the two sides is bound to become increasingly tense, and the discontent may erupt at any time.

After all, the Shanghai case turmoil had only just subsided, and it had only been half a year since then.

Japan had already issued a notice to its consuls in China, urging them to do their utmost to quell anti-Japanese sentiment among the Chinese population in order to prevent them from becoming wary of the empire's plans to gradually encroach on Manchuria.

Thinking of this, Yoshida Shigeru had no choice but to nod in agreement: "Commander-in-Chief Zhang, rest assured, we will withdraw our military, police, and secret agents as soon as possible to avoid escalating tensions between the people on both sides. However, the details of the withdrawal will require further consultation before they can be finalized. In that case, you can finally fulfill the responsibilities stipulated in the secret agreement, right?"

Old Zhang chuckled twice, then said, "Besides that, you also have to grant me a small request."

"What request?"

"Could you lend me some more money?"

Upon hearing this, Yoshida Shigeru and the others were stunned and said in a strange tone, "Commander-in-Chief Zhang, your debts in the Empire are already piling up like a mountain, why do you need to take out another loan?"

"I have no choice but to take out a loan!" Old Zhang, who was already heavily in debt, said with a grin, "Guo the devil rebelled and almost wiped out all my savings. I have to hurry up and rebuild my strength, go back into the pass, and settle accounts with that bastard surnamed Feng!"

"So you know that the Fengtian Army's resources are almost depleted?" Shirakawa Yoshinori suddenly asked, his tone clearly carrying a hint of threat.

Old Zhang didn't respond, but turned to look at the president of the South China Railway, and then said, "As the old saying goes, if you're going to help someone, help them all the way! You have to continue to help me. Once I become the President of Beijing, will the five routes of Manchuria and Mongolia still be a problem? I'll approve fifty routes for you! But if you don't help me, given the current situation in Fengtian, I'll be in a difficult position!"

The president of the Southern Railway Company pondered for a while, then suddenly asked, "It's not impossible for Commander-in-Chief Zhang to get a loan, but the problem is, what collateral will you offer?"

Old Zhang blinked: "Didn't we already sign a secret agreement?"

Upon hearing this, Yoshida Shigeru and the others almost fainted—they'd seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless!
A secret agreement, mortgaged twice, turns out that the Kwantung Army's expedition to aid Fengtian ended up being a complete waste of time and effort?
The president of Nanchang Railway immediately shook his head and said, "That's impossible!"

"Don't borrow it?"

"Commander-in-Chief Zhang, you already owe us a lot of money. Our army has also spent a lot of money on sending troops. If you want to use this secret agreement to continue the loan, I'm sorry, I can't do it."

"Ugh--"

Old Zhang leaned back in his chair, sighed deeply, then looked at Yang Zhuge beside him and muttered to himself, "Yang, it seems we have no choice but to borrow money from the Russians."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shigeru Yoshida and the others immediately stood up and said in unison, "Commander-in-Chief Zhang, please reconsider!"

The three men were well aware that if Feng Zhang completely sided with Red Russia, it would be a major strategic failure for the empire's diplomacy.

Since the defeat of the Zhili clique, the influence of Britain and the United States has temporarily waned, and the warlord conflicts in the Far East are essentially the result of frequent power struggles between Japan and Russia.

Looking at the present, both the Feng army entrenched in the Central Plains and the Guangdong army holding out in Guangzhou have received support from the north. If Manchuria were to side with Red Russia again, the Japanese would probably be completely out of the game. Therefore, no matter what, the Japanese must stabilize Fengtian and Zhang to avoid being infiltrated from the north.

Of course, deep down, Shigeru Yoshida didn't believe that Lao Zhang would side with the Russians.

After all, Guo Jun's rebellion was orchestrated by the North.

If we're talking about who hates the Russians the most right now, if Zhang Dashuai claims to be second, probably no one would dare to claim to be first.

However, there are no permanent enemies in diplomacy. Japan did not have many options, and Marshal Zhang was an excellent choice. Moreover, the two sides had been cooperating for more than a decade and had invested countless resources. Yoshida Shigeru did not dare to take the risk and, after much thought, had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"I will do my best to help you!" Yoshida Shigeru said. "I also hope that Commander-in-Chief Zhang can cooperate with us to thoroughly investigate the Red Russian spies lurking in Manchuria!"

Old Zhang waved his hand and laughed loudly, "As long as the money is in place, everything is negotiable!"

After saying that, he raised his glass again and invited everyone to drink heartily.

However, Yoshida Shigeru and the others couldn't laugh, especially Shirakawa Yoshinori, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, who kept a cold eye on Marshal Zhang, making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction. Although Old Zhang was all smiles and appeared to be in complete control, once the banquet was over, the energy in his eyes immediately vanished, and he sat alone under the lamp, his brow furrowed, unwilling to utter a word for a long, long time.

You might be able to fool others by borrowing someone else's power, but you can't fool yourself.

Ten years of hard work, shattered in a single day.

He knew very well that the Fengtian Army was finished; the losses from the two Zhili-Fengtian Wars could not outweigh the losses from Guo Degang's single rebellion.

With their elite troops exhausted and their arsenal empty, Guo Degang's general Wei Youren reorganized the remaining troops and went to the pass to join Feng Jishan. Within half a month, three of the five tiger generals of the Fengtian clique were killed, leaving only Han Linchun, who was merely a military talent, and Zhang Xiaokun, who was also obedient to orders but not to orders.

The Fengtian Army has no hope. At least for the next few years, even if they can still enter the pass and compete for supremacy, they probably won't be able to conquer the world.

Old Zhang, in his fifties, felt his days were numbered and gradually realized he probably wouldn't live to see that day.

Before long, Yang Zhuge arrived with a group of high-ranking officials, saying that the Japanese representatives had already left and inquiring about the plans for implementing the secret agreement.

Wang Tiekan, who was in charge of the economy of the three provinces, took a firm stance and strongly remonstrated, declaring that Japanese expatriates in Fengtian should never be allowed to enjoy commercial rental rights and mixed residence rights.

Old Zhang sighed and said, "I know we can't let the Japanese have commercial rental rights and mixed-use rights, but what can I do? Fight the Japanese? What can I use to fight them?"

Everyone was silent.

The military strength of the two countries was already vastly different, not to mention how could the forces of just three provinces possibly withstand the ferocious army of the Japanese?
Wang Tiekan frowned and muttered to himself, "It seems that we have no choice but to outwardly comply while inwardly resisting, and try to use public opinion to stop the Japanese economic aggression."

Others said, "General, it is easier to control the people's voices than to control a river. If we allow public opinion to spread unchecked, it may end up harming us!"

Wang Tiekan sneered, "If we allow the Japanese to live and do business in Fengtian, that will truly harm ourselves. At that time, the population structure of the three northeastern provinces will change, government orders will be difficult to implement, and the municipal government will definitely be rendered powerless."

Others said, "As long as we maintain good relations with the Japanese, we can avoid this situation. Moreover, Feng Jishan is eyeing us covetously inside the Great Wall, and the Guangdong Army in the South is eager to make a move. Both sides have the Russians behind them, and the British and Americans value the Jiangnan region more. If we don't rely on the Japanese outside the Great Wall, who else can we rely on?"

"Okay, okay!"

Old Zhang waved his hand impatiently, stopping the argument, and then stated, "Do as Wang Tiekan said. Use public opinion to pressure the provincial government and delay the implementation of the secret agreement as much as possible. The provincial government will not approve any land transfers in the near future. Also—"

He paused, then continued, "Send someone to tell those big gentry in the city that I said they should all be careful. It's not their place to sell out the country. Anyone who dares to transfer real estate to the Japanese without authorization should have their business thoroughly investigated. We must find something wrong with them and then punish them to the death!"

"But what if the Japanese keep asking questions..."

"Then let Xiao Jiang handle it!"

Old Zhang then remembered the gang leader in Fengtian City. With his eyes closed, he said, "He understands the ways of the underworld better than you do. There are some methods that the provincial government can't use, so let him use them. The government offices should give him some leeway and make some exceptions. Also, notify all the chambers of commerce, guilds, gangs, and militias in the provincial capital, and they should all comply!"

Once the strategy was set, those above followed suit.

Old Zhang said he would do the Jiang family a favor, and once the word got to the middle levels, officials at all levels would have to cooperate fully; if it got to the lower levels, it might be seen as aiding and abetting evil.

Everyone nodded, secretly keeping the commander-in-chief's instructions in mind.

Then, Old Zhang added, "If there are any anti-Japanese demonstrations in Fengtian recently, we should be lenient and not prohibit them for the time being. When the people's resentment rises and the Japanese come to negotiate with us again, we will have an excuse to at least make excuses."

"General, isn't it a bit dangerous?" Yang Zhuge asked.

"I need to have at least two cards in my hand, right?" Old Zhang cursed. "How the hell am I supposed to negotiate with the Japanese with just the Russians?"

"Then... what should be done with Guo Jun's remaining troops?"

"Didn't I say that those who surrendered wouldn't be pursued anymore? But these guys turned against me, so I won't use them anymore. Damn it, all that military reforms resulted in a traitor. I'm done with this. I still need my old brothers to rely on!"

At the sound of the order, some rejoiced while others grieved.

Old Zhang's face was gloomy. He continued, "Guo the devil's head can't turn many corners. There must be someone behind him. After I enter the pass and defeat Feng Jishan, I'm going to go to the capital to see who's been stealing my people! Order all the spies we've deployed in various places to search for the spies in the north, both inside and outside the pass, starting today!"

…………

"Thump thump thump—thump thump thump!"

Late at night, a dull knocking sound suddenly came from the door of "Shao's Hardware and General Merchandise Store" on Bagua Street.

This hardware store is not large, with a shop in the front and a workshop in the back, and it's a small business, but its excellent location makes it a good business.

However, the moon is high in the sky now, and it's the middle of the night. The shops have long since closed, and only brothels like "Songfeng Zhuyun" are still open on the entire Bagua Street.

"Boom boom boom!"

The knocking continued, and finally a response came from inside the house.

"Who is it?"

Through the glass window, a faint glimmer of light could be seen slowly moving from the back room toward the door. Then, an aged voice said hesitantly and fearfully, "The shop is closed. If you need anything, come back tomorrow morning!"

"Thump thump thump—thump thump thump!"

The visitor outside was quite oblivious and continued to stubbornly bang on the door.

Holding the oil lamp in his left hand and shielding the candle flame with his right, Manager Shao cautiously approached the door and asked in a trembling voice, "Who is it?"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Can't you speak?" Manager Shao approached the glass window, turned his head to look outside the door, and saw two dark figures standing under the eaves.

Just as I was about to ask again, I heard a deep, muffled voice reply from outside: "The Jiang family."

Upon hearing this, Manager Shao's heart leaped into his throat. He dared not delay and quickly put down the board, gently pushed open half of the door, and raised the oil lamp. He saw a dark-faced man, like a clay sculpture, standing stiffly at the doorway.

The old man was taken aback, swallowed hard, and chuckled dryly, "Hey, I thought you were the second master of the Jiang family. You are...?"

Zhang Zhengdong stepped across the threshold, saying as he walked, "You don't need to know who I am; I'm just here to deliver a message to you."

(End of this chapter)