Republic of China, 1922: Rise from the Post-Zhili-Fengtian War

At this time, the situation inside and outside Shanhaiguan remained tense.

Along the Luanzhou line inside the pass, Wang Chengbin and Yang Qingchen were stationed at the front-line camp of the Zhili Army. Their troops were deployed layer by layer along the passes, with guns and cannons lined up and the camps stretching for dozens of miles.

Outside the pass, at Yuguan, Sun Liechen led the Fengtian Army to garrison the strategic location and guard the vital passage.

The two armies faced each other across the pass, but never crossed the border. This cold standoff has been maintained ever since the Zhili-Fengtian ceasefire.

However, on the day the Lianshan Station incident occurred, a letter signed by Kwantung Army Commander-in-Chief Ono Saneun was urgently delivered by the Japanese Consulate in Fengtian to the Zhili Army Headquarters in Luanzhou and placed directly on Wang Chengbin's desk.

Wang Chengbin was discussing the troop rotation at Shanhaiguan with several staff members. He was clearly displeased by this sudden disruption, but when he heard that it was a letter from the Kwantung Army Headquarters, he still reached out and took it.

He opened the envelope and skimmed through it, his expression growing increasingly grim as he read.

These Japanese used strong language, directly pointing to the armed raid on the Lianshan Manchuria Railway outpost in western Liaoning last night, in which food and ammunition supplies were looted and many Japanese garrison members were wounded.

At the scene, Zhili Army cap badges, Hanyang-made bullet casings, and Zhili Army standard military caps were recovered. According to station staff, the attackers spoke with a Zhili accent and claimed to be subordinates of Commander Wang of the Zhili Army. They then retreated towards Jinzhou.

The Kwantung Army ordered the Zhili clique to hand over the perpetrators within three days, compensate for all losses, and restrain the retreating soldiers from harassing the South Manchurian Railway line.

If the Zhili clique shirks responsibility and delays, the Kwantung Army will send troops into western Liaoning to suppress them, and the Zhili clique will bear all the consequences.

"These damned Japanese! They can't even guard the gate properly, and they're blaming us!"

Wang Chengbin slammed the letter on the table, trembling with anger.

Yang Qingchen leaned forward and read it, his face immediately darkening: "Brother Xiaobo, this is clearly a deliberate scheme to frame us! Our Zhili army has already obeyed orders to completely contain the area within the pass, and strictly forbids any unit from crossing even a single step into Fengtian territory... Moreover, there is Sun Liechen's defensive line in between, so how could any troops possibly run to Lianshan to plunder the Manchuria Railway?"

Wang Chengbin looked towards Yuguan Pass outside the pass: "Without a doubt, someone within the Fengtian Army must be up to something."

Yang Qingchen remained silent.

After a long silence, he frowned and said, "But could the Fengtian Army have done this? With the Northeast as their rear base, would they really covet such a small station as Lianshan? If they just wanted to frame us, why would they risk offending the Japanese? This could easily be exposed if not handled properly!"

Wang Chengbin sneered: "No matter what, the witnesses and evidence are so meticulously prepared, it's all to smear us—that way, by stealing the goods, they can not only exonerate themselves, but also sow discord between the Zhili clique and the Kwantung Army, and use the pressure from the Japanese to restrain our Zhili army from making any rash moves. What a clever scheme!"

Yang Qingchen frowned and said, "Then how should we deal with this? We can't just take the blame for nothing and let the Japanese put pressure on us."

Wang Chengbin paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. After a long while, he turned around and said, "Of course we can't let the Japanese frame us for nothing... but the situation must be reported."

A staff member nodded: "Yes, we must inform Tianjin and Luoyang of the Kwantung Army's demands and the situation in Lianshan... Please make the decision, Marshals!"

Wang Chengbin expressed his agreement, and then said to Yang Qingchen: "Order all the Zhili Army units in Luanzhou and Shanhaiguan to strictly guard the gates and strengthen the defenses. Without my order, no one shall cross the pass even half a step."

Soldiers are strictly prohibited from wandering around. All stragglers must be gathered up to prevent the Japanese and Fengtian Army from having any leverage against them.

Third, I dispatched two skilled inspectors, disguised as merchants, to secretly infiltrate the Lianshan and Jinzhou areas of western Liaoning to investigate the truth of the matter, with a focus on ascertaining the movements of the Jinzhou detachment—I have a feeling this matter is inextricably linked to Sun Liechen and his men!

Yang Qingchen and his companions bowed and accepted the order: "We will make the arrangements immediately and will certainly not fail in our mission!"

Having said that, he turned and strode away, leaving Wang Chengbin alone in the tent. He gazed towards the direction beyond the pass, his eyes filled with coldness.

Those despicable Fengtian Army soldiers! They actually resort to such underhanded tactics!

Meanwhile, inside the Fengtian Army headquarters in Yuguan, Sun Liechen was looking at the Liaoxi defense map, pondering how to report the current situation to Zhang Zuolin.

A guard rushed in from outside the tent, looking panicked: "Brigadier, something terrible has happened! News has come from the Japanese Consulate in Fengtian that the Lianshan branch of the South Manchuria Railway was robbed last night. The Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, Ono Saneinobu, has sent a letter accusing the Zhili Army of being behind it!"

"What!" Sun Liechen jumped to his feet, his pencil falling to the ground with a thud. "Lianshan was robbed? And they're accusing the Zhili Army?"

Immediately afterwards, a chill ran up the back of my collar to the top of my head!

Those bastards! I'm holding Yuguan Pass, and they managed to sneak up from the Luanzhou line to Lianshan Station to launch a surprise attack—

If the commander-in-chief finds out, won't he think my defenses are useless?

What's even more terrifying is that they were able to get as far as Lianshan. If they were to launch a surprise attack on Jinzhou, his troops would be caught between two fires!

He knew the situation of the Jinzhou garrison better than anyone else:

With few soldiers, poor equipment, and even insufficient food and pay... Yu Ting even appointed a greenhorn as the regimental commander.

If the Zhili Army were to accurately assess the situation there, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Sun Liechen broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing his superior's expression, Zhao Enzhen, the deputy beside him, chimed in: "Brigade Commander, the news should be true... A colleague of mine revealed that a troop attacked the Lianshan Post Station."

At the scene, Zhili Army cap badges, shell casings, and military caps were also found, and two menial workers came forward to identify them. Kwantung Army Commander-in-Chief Ono Saneino had ordered the Zhili clique to hand over the perpetrators and compensate for the losses within three days; if the Zhili clique did not cooperate, the Kwantung Army would send troops to western Liaoning to suppress them.

Sun Liechen was greatly surprised.

But he quickly realized, "This isn't right... I'm not taking Wang Chengbin's side, they wouldn't do something like this!"

Zhao Enzhen frowned and said, "Brigadier, the Japanese have both witnesses and physical evidence, and the Zhili-Fengtian War has just ended. There are many scattered soldiers from the Zhili Army. Perhaps some of these stragglers couldn't survive and took the risk of robbing the South Manchuria Railway Company—"

Think about it, we're closer to the Japanese, so they can frame us—a win-win situation!

Sun Liechen waved his hand, clenching his teeth: "Wang Chengbin is meticulous. Besides, they have just won a battle and are in high spirits. With Cao San and Wu Xiucai backing them up, and with the rich land inside the pass behind them, how could they possibly care about the grain and ammunition in Lianshan?"

Besides, the Zhili army had already withdrawn to the interior of China and was strictly forbidden from crossing into Fengtian territory. They wouldn't risk provoking the Japanese and getting themselves into trouble over such a small matter.

Zhao Enzhen thought for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses: "If you put it that way, it's true... The area around Lianshan is within our military defense zone. Even if the Zhili Army had the guts, they would have to get past our Yuguan defense line first—"

How could they possibly sneak into Lianshan undetected, steal the goods, and leave so much "evidence" behind?