Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

"And that old man surnamed Lin!" He Ze gritted his teeth. "One man, one gun, and he routed my patrol! Are you all useless idiots?"

"Commander... Commander," the adjutant stammered.

"That old man is too strange. His gun is faster than a human's, and he has a grappling hook. He can scale walls and rooftops. Brothers... we can't stop him."

"Can't stop them?" He Ze sneered. "What use are you bunch of useless trash to me!"

Just as he was about to start cursing, a guard announced from outside the door: "Commander, someone is looking for you. They say they are guests from the south."

He Ze frowned.

From the south?

He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand: "Bring him in."

Soon, a man in black followed the guards in.

He was short, wrapped in a black cloak, and his face was covered with a cloth, revealing only his gloomy eyes.

"Commander He," the man in black said, his voice hoarse, "I am from the National Salvation Association, here to discuss a business deal with you."

He Ze narrowed his eyes and gestured for his adjutant to leave.

The adjutant closed the door, leaving only the two people in the hall.

"What kind of business?" He Ze slowly walked to the head seat, sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Three divisions." The man in black stepped forward half a step. "Three divisions sent down from Beiping. Commander He allowed them to enter Guanghua and pass through to the south."

He Ze paused, his teacup still in his hand.

"What are the conditions?"

"Afterwards, the position of military governor of the five southern provinces belonged to Commander He." The man in black spoke in a low voice, but each word was clear: "The country was divided along the Yangtze River, with the north and south separated. Beiping could not control the affairs of the south, and the military and political power of the five provinces all belonged to the commander."

He Ze looked up at him, his eyes filled with malice: "You're all so kind?"

"The council said everyone is acting in the best interests of the South," the man in black said calmly. "Those people in Beiping have overstepped their bounds. Rather than letting them wreak havoc on the South, it would be better for Commander He to step in and take charge. If everyone takes a step back, all will be well."

He Ze tapped his fingers lightly on the table without saying a word.

He was making plans in his mind very quickly.

Three divisions marched south, ostensibly to suppress bandits, but in reality, they were also there to target him.

He Ze had been running Guanghua for so many years, how could he be willing to have his power stripped away by Beiping?

But if he cooperated with the National Salvation Association and sent three divisions over, he could reap the benefits when the south broke out, and the position of military governor of five provinces would be within his grasp.

There are risks, but the benefits outweigh them.

After a long silence, He Ze slowly spoke: "Go back and tell your association that I've done this deal."

The man in black smiled and bowed, saying, "Commander He, that's convincing."

After saying that, he turned and left, quickly disappearing outside the door.

He Ze sat in the chair, gazing at the sky outside the window, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

Guanghua? This is just the beginning.

It's time for the weather in the south to change.

……

The group continued their journey early the next morning.

The mountain path widened as we walked, and as we got closer to the river mouth, the number of pedestrians on the road increased.

Peddlers carrying loads, scholars on their way, and refugees fleeing famine passed each other in twos and threes, all in a hurry.

"The number of people fleeing has been increasing recently." Li Shuwen, leaning on his gun, walked beside Lin Ji, his voice low:

"It seems the news of the troop mobilization from the north has already spread."

Lin Ji nodded, his gaze sweeping over the elderly and children on the roadside. They were all emaciated, carrying tattered bundles, and fleeing south with their families.

"If He Ze really lets three divisions in, Guanghua will be the first to suffer."

Li Shuwen sighed:

"When war breaks out and chaos ensues, it will be the ordinary people who suffer."

"What I'm afraid of is that it's not that simple," Lin Ji said slowly.

Li Shuwen turned to look at him: "You mean?"

"The National Salvation Association is not that simple." Lin Ji's eyes darkened.

"If they really wanted to resist the North, they wouldn't need to cooperate with He Ze. Who is He Ze? He's more ambitious than anyone else. If he really took control of five provinces, he would be even more difficult to deal with than the authorities in Beiping."

Li Shuwen's brows furrowed in worry.

He pondered it all the way, but it didn't seem right.

How could the National Salvation Association, which claims to be patriotic, collude with a warlord like He Ze?

But if it doesn't make sense, why would Jiang Yunhe go to the trouble of acting as a go-between?

"You mean... they don't actually want to resist the North?" Li Shuwen lowered his voice.

"They want to divide the territory," Lin Ji said calmly.

"Taking advantage of the authorities' southward advance, they simply divided the country along the river, each ruling half the land, and He Ze was their proxy."

Li Shuwen's heart skipped a beat.

Divide the country along the river and govern accordingly?

He stopped abruptly, looked at Lin Ji, his eyes filled with shock.

He had considered that the National Salvation Association was a mixed bag, and that they might have ulterior motives, but he never imagined that this was their true intention.

If the country were truly divided between North and South, wouldn't it be completely torn apart?

"This...this can't be, right?" Li Shuwen's voice trembled. "How dare they..."

"These days, if you have soldiers and guns, what wouldn't you dare to do?"

A voice came from behind, nonchalant and with a hint of laughter.

The two turned around, and Jiang Yunhe, with a cigarette in his mouth, slowly followed. His face was not serious, but his eyes were very bright.

"You know all this?" Li Shuwen asked in a deep voice.

Jiang Yunhe exhaled a puff of white smoke and shrugged:

"Hey, what's there to hide? The warlords in the south have long since stopped listening to Beiping. They collect their own taxes and train their own troops, which is practically the same as independence. This time, taking advantage of the authorities' southward advance, they might as well tear down the window paper, divide the country along the river, and each go their own way."

He flicked off his cigarette ash and continued:

"He Ze is the man we chose. He is from a large province with a strong army. With him standing there, it won't be easy for anyone from the north to come over. Afterwards, we gave him the position of military governor of five provinces, and he was happy to risk his life for us."

Lin Ji's eyes turned cold.

it is as expected.

"Aren't you afraid of letting a wolf into the house?" Li Shuwen's voice was deep. "Can you contain He Ze's ambitions?"

"We have to deal with it, even if we can't contain it." Jiang Yunhe stopped laughing and became more serious: "It's better than letting the people from Kyoto come and wipe out the South. Besides, if a war really breaks out, it's the ordinary people who will suffer. It's better to draw a clear line sooner rather than later and fight fewer years of war."

"Nonsense." Lin Ji coldly uttered two words.

Jiang Yunhe smiled and did not refute:

"Old man Lin, you're a member of the Xinghua Society, so naturally you're thinking about national unification. But the reality is what it is: what can that government in the north do besides make money? If they really take control of the south, the common people will really not be able to survive."

He paused, then said, "I know you look down on us, but this cooperation is also beneficial to you. We'll escort you safely north, and your organization's forces in the north will be able to catch their breath. It's a win-win situation, so why be so serious?"

Lin Ji didn't speak, his fingers gripping the gun barrel tightly.

He knew that Jiang Yunhe had some truth to what he said, but truth is truth, and bottom line is bottom line.

The division of a nation is a serious matter; how can it be used as a bargaining chip?