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

The angry shout echoed inside the mansion, causing the three to exchange bewildered glances, and even the guards at the door held their breath.

"Why is the handsome man so angry?"

Feng Yong looked nervous, while Zhao Xishun muttered to himself: Sun Liechen is guarding Shanhaiguan and can't come, and Tang Yulin and Zhang Jinghui have both made excuses, saying they can't come to today's meeting.

Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow: Oh ho? These two old guys are so bold, they just quit like that?

He knew these old-fashioned people would definitely oppose reform, but he never expected them to be so blatant.

Zhao Xishun opened the door with minimal movement, leading the two inside.

This place is more spacious than the front hall of the Grand Green Building. The real tiger specimens on the left and right sides of the hall stand upright and lie crouching, and under the yellowish wall lamp, they still have a fierce mountain forest aura, making people subconsciously hold their breath as soon as they enter.

Zhang Zuolin sat at the head of the long table in the center, with Feng Delin and Yang Yuting seated next to him.

As the three entered, Zhang Zuolin's anger subsided slightly, but he immediately glared again: "Why is it just the two of you? Where's Liu Zi?"

Before Gu Cheng could answer, Zhao Xishun immediately stood at attention: "Sir, the meeting is scheduled for nine in the morning, it's only eight-fifteen now, please don't rush."

Zhang Zuolin was extremely dissatisfied with this answer. He slammed his fist on the table and angrily shouted, "Get out of here! What time is it? How come his two brothers know to come and support us so early, while he's still sleeping in the house? Get him down here right now!"

As he said this, he also took the opportunity to gesture for the two of them to sit down first.

Knowing their respective positions, Gu Cheng walked straight to a spot further away from the long table. However, just as he pulled out a mahogany chair, Zhang Zuolin interrupted Yang Yuting's report, turning to the two and saying, "Sitting so far away, can you hear us? Come over here, you'll be next to Liu Zi!"

After saying that, he looked annoyed again, "That Tang Yulin is a complete bastard... At least Zhang Jinghui knew how to find a way out, but he just said he was sick! What kind of illness could he have? Back when he was suppressing bandits in western Liaoning, that 'Tiger of Northeast China' slashed a big hole in him with his saber, and he was able to get out of bed after a few days of recuperation—how could he be sick? He's stronger than a bear!"

Gu Cheng observed Yang Yuting, who was usually a master strategist, but for the first time, he lost his usual composure and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Commander-in-Chief, I have always thought that the reorganization of the army should start with the direct forces in Fengtian... If we spread it all over the Northeast, I'm afraid it might not be very safe."

Upon hearing the word "safety," the old fox became anxious: "Safety what? In six days, tens of thousands of troops were wiped out! Why didn't anyone mention anything about safety to me back then?"

"Damn it! Even if that scholar Wu were to catch over 70,000 pigs, it would take him more than half a month... Over 30 million yuan of military spending has gone down the drain. Are there pigs that expensive?"

Seeing him puffing out his beard and glaring, Gu Cheng couldn't help but laugh: reforms are encountering resistance, and even the little strategist is starting to have trouble.

Yang Yuting glanced at Feng Delin with a troubled expression, as if he wanted Feng to put in a good word for him, but the old man sat there lost in thought and showed no intention of responding.

Even Feng Yong could see that his father had no intention of getting involved in the Fengtian Army's affairs, let alone getting involved in the mess of "reform".

Just then, Zhao Xishun arrived with the young marshal, followed closely by two middle-aged officers.

In the original owner's memories, the burly, bearded man was Wu Junsheng, while the other, slightly younger, with a tall and upright figure and gentle features, was Zhang Zuoxiang.

Gu Cheng and Feng Yong immediately stood up to greet them.

"Oh, Yuting, I'm so sorry! I spoke with Fuchen on the phone last night and said I'd come over early—look at this delay on the way, isn't it?"

Wu Junsheng sensed something was off as soon as he entered. Seeing Feng Delin there, he quickly went over to greet him, "Hey, Third Brother, how long has it been since you last came down from the mountain? See, your handsome master still has a lot of influence!"

Zhang Zuolin stood up, shaking hands with the two men while laughing heartily, "What's with all this talk about face? That's too formal! I just wanted us old brothers to sit down and properly discuss the future of Northeast China."

The group took their seats according to their seating arrangement, making no mention of the "promotion" of Feng Delin to the position of military governor in Fengtian. Instead, they discussed the current political situation.

Before long, Guo Songling, Jiang Dengxuan, Han Linchun and other key members of the new faction entered and took their seats. Zhang Jinghui, who had claimed before the meeting that there were matters to attend to in the army, also rushed over in a hurry.

The long table, which had been somewhat empty, was soon filled with neat rows of people.

The old-school generals sat on the left, while the new-school strategists stood on the right, clearly divided, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became heavy.

With everyone present, the meeting officially began.

Zhang Zuolin leaned forward slightly, one hand on the long table, his triangular eyes sweeping across the room: "Actually, the brothers here today should have heard some rumors—it's nothing much, just that our Fengtian Army needs to reorganize and strengthen its military, and regroup!"

Because this battle inside the Great Wall was truly frustrating! How could that scholar Wu Peifu possibly win against us? It wasn't because we had fewer soldiers or less money, but because our troops were disorganized and our generals were each in charge of their own territory, and when battle broke out, they all fled for their lives! If this continues, we won't even need anyone else to fight; we'll ruin the Northeast ourselves—”

The audience was silent.

He then sat down, and Yang Yuting, who was next to him, stood up with the documents in his hand and announced loudly: "Fellow colleagues, the General Staff and the Commander-in-Chief have discussed and decided to establish the Army Reorganization Office, with Zhang Zuoxiang as the Chief of Staff... to be in charge of the overall situation."

Zhang Xueliang and Guo Songling were appointed as deputy commanders, primarily responsible for military training and the appointment of new talents; Jiang Dengxuan, Han Linchun, Gu Cheng, and Feng Yong were appointed as staff officers in the reorganization department, and after the meeting, they were incorporated into various armies to ensure the implementation of the reorganization details, verify military pay and staffing, and reform the training regulations!

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion arose in the hall.

Yang Yuting raised his hand in a gesture of apology and continued, "The core responsibility of the Army Reorganization Department is to reduce the number of old, weak, sick, and disabled personnel in each army and to eliminate vacancies—in addition, our Fengtian Army will promote unified organization and change the old practice of each going its own way!"

Just as Yang Yuting announced the decree, Zhang Zuochen immediately stood up: "Thank you for the trust of the Commander-in-Chief and the General Staff. I, Zhang Fuchen, will do my utmost."

Wu Junsheng glanced at Yang Yuting, then at the eager young men, and rubbed his hands together, forcing a perfunctory smile: "Judging from this, it seems that all training will be under the jurisdiction of this organization department from now on. I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Zuolin gave him a cold glance and immediately shut his mouth.

Feng Delin was still resting with his eyes closed, but when he heard his son and nephew's names, he slightly lifted his eyelids to listen. Only after the young people stood up and responded did he reveal a few ambiguous smiles.

Zhang Zuolin gestured for the young men to sit down, and then personally announced: "From now on, our Fengtian Army will all train according to the new style of drills. All those old bad habits will be abolished by me!"

Furthermore, all military pay will henceforth be distributed uniformly by the Army Reorganization Department. If anyone engages in any shady dealings and I find out, regardless of whether you're a long-time comrade or not, you'll be court-martialed without mercy!

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing increasing unease among the old-school generals on the left. Zhang Jinghui whispered something in Feng Delin's ear, his eyes already showing dissatisfaction.

To put it bluntly, keeping a private army and skimming some of their pay is the foundation for these people's livelihood. They can still accept the new training and standardized organization to some extent.

However, if "military pay" were unified, it would undoubtedly cut off their source of income, which would be no different from taking away military power directly.

Wu Junsheng couldn't sit still any longer and tentatively spoke up again, his tone more cautious than before: "Chief of Staff, it's a good thing to reorganize the army and improve its military skills, but most of our brothers are rough men, how would they know anything about the new military manuals?"

Furthermore, shouldn't we slow down the layoffs of the elderly and infirm? Those veterans have risked their lives with us; to lay them off so easily would surely demoralize them.