Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 546 Everyone has their own agenda
"Where are the North China troops now?"

"We have already passed Pingyang."

"Tell them to hurry up!"

"Hu Shoushan is about to flee back to Sichuan, and the wheat in Longdong and Longnan will be looted by the Ma Clique army!"

At this time, a tense atmosphere permeated the Guanzhong region.

At the very moment Yang Delu abandoned Chang'an and was completely annihilated, the situation in the entire Northwest changed dramatically.

Hu Shoushan led the command post back to the Qinling Mountains.

Although his main force was still in Chencang, it was ready to retreat into Hanzhong at any time.

Seeing Hu Shoushan potentially retreating at any moment, Ma Sanyuan and Ma Zixiang, who had been sitting and watching the show, became anxious.

The main force of the G army has advanced to the vicinity of Chencang. At this time, if the G army were to change course...

The first to be affected was the Longdong region, where Ma Zixiang was based, and further north was Ma Sanyuan's hometown, Ningxia.

At this moment, both horses felt a considerable threat.

If the G army captures Chencang, regardless of the casualties suffered by Hu Shoushan's troops, their next target will definitely be the two of them.

For their own benefit, Ma Sanyuan and Ma Zixiang immediately volunteered to Chang Ruiyuan.

This indicates a willingness to send troops to cooperate with Hu Shoushan in retaking Chang'an, recovering lost territory in Guanzhong, and securing the Northwest.

On Frog Island, inside Chang Ruiyuan's official residence, his eldest son, Chang Jianfeng, approached with a telegram.

"Father, Ma Sanyuan called, pleading with you to stop Hu Shoushan from continuing his southward retreat. He is willing to cooperate with Ma Zixiang to help Hu Shoushan retake Chang'an."

"Oh, this Ma Sanyuan is really beyond my expectations." Chang Ruiyuan looked at Ma Sanyuan's telegram with some delight.

Chang Ruiyuan naturally saw through the two Mas' obvious intention to protect themselves at a glance.

Although Chang Ruiyuan has retreated to Frog Island, he still hopes to occupy a piece of land on the mainland in preparation for changes in the international situation.

The place Chang Ruiyuan chose was the Southwest region where he had stayed during the War of Resistance against Japan. It was a place with high mountains and long roads, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Guanzhong region is the gateway to Southwest China.

Regardless of their motives, as long as Ma wanted to reclaim Chang'an and the Guanzhong region, it would benefit his strategic intentions.

Chang Jianfeng, standing nearby, also said happily, "Father, the Northwest has always been the territory of the Ma brothers. This time, Hu Shoushan retreated without a fight, and the Longdong and Shaanxi-Gansu highways were completely exposed, leaving the gates wide open. Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia have lost their shield, and they are now under direct threat."

"To be fair, Hu Shoushan is quite clever. Before he gave up Chang'an, Hu needed the help of the two Mas, but once he gave up Chang'an, the two Mas turned around and needed Hu's help."

Chang Jianfeng still didn't understand Hu Shoushan. To say that he abandoned Guanzhong and fled in accordance with the situation could be considered somewhat clever.

However, to say that abandoning Guanzhong was a clever move by Hu Shoushan to force the Ma brothers to send troops is a bit far-fetched.

Even Hu Shoushan himself had never thought of it that way.

He had dealt with the G army for many years and was well aware of the G army's combat capabilities after gaining access to a large, mobile battlefield.

Back in northern Shaanxi, he was beaten up quite a few times for this.

However, Chang Ruiyuan nodded with satisfaction at Chang Jianfeng's analysis: "Jianfeng, you've matured."

"The overall war situation across the country is in a state of collapse, but the Northwest is not too far behind. We can still compete with the G Army in the Northwest."

"Although Hu Shoushan is incompetent, with 200,000 men unable to defeat a force of tens of thousands, the troops of the Qing and Ning Ma armies have always been fierce, so we can definitely let them come out and give them a try."

"Send a telegram later, instructing Hu Shoushan to negotiate with the two Mas to launch a joint counterattack against Chang'an."

"Yes."

"Jianfeng, keep it brief, just get to the point," Chang Ruiyuan added.
"While the North China Army has not yet reached the Northwest, they can still accomplish something."

Of course, since Qing and Ning had already expressed their opinions, Chang Ruiyuan also had to express his.

However, at this time, Chang Ruiyuan had neither money nor artillery, so he could only resort to the Northwest Military and Political Commander position that he had been holding onto.

Zhang Wenbai had previously served as the military and political commander of the Northwest, but since he stayed in Beiping and did not return, this position could naturally be used to exchange for benefits.

“Father, there is only one position, but we need to reward two people. I’m afraid someone will just show up but not actually do their job.”

"Hehe. This time, it was the two of them who begged me."

"Even if they aren't given positions, they'll still risk their lives for the sake of their own territory."

"So you mean give it to Ma Sanyuan?"

According to Chang Jianfeng's plan, Ma Zixiang's Longdong region is now facing the G army's advance.

Even if no position is assigned to him, Ma Zixiang will still take the initiative to help.

"No, don't give it to Ma Sanyuan." Chang Ruiyuan shook his head: "Give it to Ma Zixiang instead."

"This"

"I know that Ma Sanyuan is more suitable for the position of military and political commander in the Northwest."

"But if Ma Zixiang sits there, the conflict between the two will be maximized."

In Chang Ruiyuan's view, even if the three forces could not completely annihilate the G army, they could still recover lost territory and redeploy their defenses along the Jing and Wei rivers.

At this point, stirring up conflict becomes a major priority.

“Father, if Ma Sanyuan gets nothing, he probably won’t give up easily.”

"Hehe. You forgot, there's also the position of Governor of GS Province," Chang Ruiyuan said with a smile.

"What would happen if Ma Sanyuan became the governor of GS province?"

For many years, Chang Ruiyuan outwardly tried to win over the two Mas, but inwardly he remained wary of them.

The influence of the two Ma brothers was strictly limited to the provinces of Qinghai and Ningxia. He never allowed them to obtain the important positions of Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest Army and Governor of Gansu.

Only after the G army crossed the Yangtze River did Chang Ruiyuan finally produce these two letters of appointment, prompting Ma and Ma to fight desperately for them.

"Father is indeed brilliant!" Chang Jianfeng gave a thumbs up.

After Ma Zixiang takes over as the military and political leader of the Northwest, he will inevitably move to Jincheng.

However, if the position of Governor of Gansu falls into the hands of Ma Sanyuan, Ma Sanyuan will also go to Jincheng.

In this way, the two will have a direct confrontation in Jincheng.

At that time, they will all inevitably have to ask the central government for help.

“Besides that, there’s another reason,” Chang Ruiyuan said, sitting in his chair.
“This Ma Zixiang is like a wild horse, relatively easy to manipulate. Give her a whip, and she’ll really work hard for you for a while.”

"What about Ma Sanyuan? He's a slippery horse. Sometimes you can't even catch his tail. Even if you give him the position of military and political leader in the Northwest, he still won't do his job."

At this time, Hu Shoushan had already led his elite First Army to retreat to Hanzhong, leaving only Pei Dingchang, deputy director of the Chang'an Pacification Headquarters, clerk of the Fifth Army Corps, and director of the Chencang Command Post, to oversee Chencang.

Hu Shoushan felt helpless after receiving Chang Ruiyuan's telegram.

He went through so much trouble to evacuate Chang'an, and now he wants to go back? Isn't that just a pointless fuss?

It should be noted that although Chang'an was lost, he could still muster an army of about 200,000 men.

If they retreat to the northern Sichuan area, they can still maintain the situation in the southwest.

Looking at the telegram, Chief of Staff Lü Hanwen said, "Officer, Ma Sanyuan and Ma Zixiang have really pulled off some clever tricks this time."

Over the previous decade or so, Hu Shoushan had tricked the two Mas countless times, and the two Mas had secretly suffered a lot of losses.

As a result, this time the two Mas devised a plan to launch a joint counterattack against Chang'an, which directly put Hu Shoushan in a dilemma.
"Hmph, these two guys have gained the old man's trust, and now they've put us in a difficult position."

With the two Mas joining the battle, the G army's attention will be diverted, and there is even a possibility of recapturing Xianyang and Chang'an.

But Hu Shoushan knew without a doubt that the two Mas would only fight if they dragged him into it.

This disrupted Hu Shoushan's plan to retreat to Sichuan and Yunnan, avoid a decisive battle with the G army, and thus preserve his strength.

“Officer, although there aren’t many words in the telegram, it’s clear that the President has made up his mind.”

"This is exactly what's giving me a headache," Hu Shoushan said helplessly.

Once Chang Ruiyuan made up his mind, not just anyone could change it.

In the end, Hu Shoushan could only console himself: "Although the plan has changed, it would be good if we could use this opportunity to lure the two Mas out of Longdong and drag them into Guanzhong to protect us."

Upon learning that she had been appointed as the military and political commander of the Northwest, Ma Zixiang was overjoyed: "Damn it, I've accomplished what our ancestors couldn't."

"I must immediately hold a ceremony to honor my ancestors; I want to share this good news with them!"

Compared to Ma Zixiang's smugness, Ma Sanyuan was much more disappointed.

Although it was expected, it would be a lie to say that Ma Sanyuan had no such thoughts beforehand.

After all, if we're talking about seniority, Ma Zixiang should call Ma Sanyuan "Old Dad".

"Sir, it's quite unexpected that Ma Zixiang was chosen as the Northwest Military and Political Commander."

"Sigh, as expected, as expected." Ma Sanyuan sighed, "Ma Zixiang's strength is ultimately superior to mine."

"However, I can accept the position of Governor of Gansu this time."

"With the territories of Ningxia and Gansu provinces, the Ma family's power can develop rapidly. Who will be the military and political leader of the Northwest in the future is still uncertain."

After Ma Zixiang took office in Jincheng, he immediately replaced all the officials in the governor's office with his own people, and even replaced the troops stationed in Jincheng with the Qingma Army.

However, to Ma Sanyuan's surprise, the appointment of the governor of GS Province was delayed.

Feeling uneasy, Ma Sanyuan sent someone to inquire, only to find out that Ma Zixiang had already sent people to work in Guangzhou.

He wanted to hand over the governorship of GS Province to his son, Ma Jixiang.

"Damn it! I've finally been screwed over by this little brat!"

"You bastard, you're getting more and more arrogant!"

The chief of staff quickly advised, "Sir, even if you and your son are combined, they can't compare to you. You must stay calm; there's still a long way to go."

"Hmph, they want to let these two bastards get cocky? I'll see how they defeat the G Army!"

However, no matter how much Ma Sanyuan cursed him, he knew that attacking Guanzhong was the most important thing.

Ma Sanyuan traveled a long distance by car to Jincheng.

At the military conference, many people had their own ulterior motives.

Finally, the Hu-Ma alliance finalized its joint defense plan, preparing to form five major corps with their sights set on Xianyang and Chang'an.

The operation seemed certain to succeed, but none of them were willing to take the lead.

Hu Shoushan, in particular, was even prepared to wait and see how Ma and Ma performed before deciding whether to send troops.

Seeing that no one was taking the initiative to attack, Ma Zixiang had no choice but to give Ma Jixiang the order to attack.

Now he is the military and political leader of the Northwest, and he has to take the lead.

Upon learning that the 40,000-strong Longdong Corps had finally been mobilized, Hu Shoushan immediately called Pei Dingchang.

"The Ma Clique army has always been cunning. Don't fall for their tricks. The troops should advance slowly or remain stationary. Under no circumstances should they advance suddenly."

"Rest assured, sir. Before Ma Jixiang takes Xianyang, the 5th Army Corps, the 18th Army Corps, and the Longnan Army Corps will not make any rash moves."

(End of this chapter)