On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

meeting room.

Several of the most powerful men in the Northeast Army sat around a table.

Tang Yulin looked puzzled and asked:

"Second Commander, what happened?"

Zhang Xueming went straight to the point, saying:

Goguryeo.

"Now that the main force of the Japanese troops in Goguryeo has been basically annihilated, should we take advantage of this situation and invade Goguryeo?"

The air inside the tent seemed to freeze.

Tang Yulin was the first to speak.

He slammed his hand on the table. "Go in! Why aren't you going in??"

"We wiped out all the Japanese troops in Goguryeo. Chang Yuchun has tanks and planes; crossing the Yalu River will be as easy as going to a market for him!"

"Sinuiju, Pyongyang, Seoul—we'll push forward all the way! Let's see who can stop us!"

Wang Yizhe coughed and said, "Commander Tang, I have no doubt that we can win this battle."

"The question is... what happens after we take it down?"

Tang Yulin paused for a moment, then said in an even louder voice:

"Whatever we take is ours!"

Wang Yizhe, however, was more cautious:

"And then? What do the White Bear People think? What do the Lion Camel Ridge People think?"

"We just finished fighting the Japanese, and they will definitely exaggerate and spread these stories."

"At that time, the great powers will exert pressure on the Northeast Army, which will be attacked from two sides. On one hand, it will have to confront the Japanese at sea, and on the other hand, it will have to suppress the remaining Japanese forces and possible resistance forces in Goguryeo."

"General Tang, have you considered this situation?"

Tang Yulin opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself unable to find the right words.

"Yi Zhe is right."

Zhang Xueliang suddenly spoke.

"It's easy to conquer Goguryeo, but difficult to defend it."

"Our biggest enemy right now is the Japanese, and splitting our forces with Goguryeo would be a huge no-no."

"Moreover, our Northeast Army is already stretched thin with its troops stationed in Northeast and North China. If we were to take on the Goguryeo issue as well, it would only make things more difficult."

"So we'll just stand by and watch?"

Tang Yulin exhaled smoke. "We've wiped out all the Japanese elites. Goguryeo is now a piece of fat meat. If we don't want it, someone else will."

"Don't you want the White Bear people? Don't you want the Lion Camel Ridge people? Or should we wait until the Japanese recover and then send troops over again?"

Zhang Xueming remained silent.

He leaned back in his chair, listening quietly to the argument between the three people.

Tang Yulin advocated sending troops immediately to strike while the iron was hot and swallow Goguryeo whole.

Zhang Xueliang advocated holding back and focusing on defending the Northeast.

Wang Yizhe's attitude was the most subtle. He did not oppose sending troops, but he raised a series of questions, each of which hit the nail on the head.

After the three of them had finished speaking, Zhang Xueming straightened up and placed his hands on the table.

"What you all say makes sense."

His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet tent: "There's a reason to fight Goguryeo."

There are reasons for not attacking Goguryeo.

"But I have a question now."

The three people looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What's the problem?" Wang Yizhe asked.

Zhang Xueming stood up, walked to the map hanging on the side of the tent, and drew a line on the Yalu River with his finger.

"Tell me, do the Goguryeo people across the Yalu River prefer to be ruled by the Japanese or by us?"

Silence fell again in the tent.

"The Japanese ruled Goguryeo for thirty years."

Zhang Xueming said quietly:

"Thirty years is enough time for the Japanese to cultivate a group of pro-Japanese factions in Goguryeo, enough time for them to drain Goguryeo's resources, and enough time for them to drive the Goguryeo people like cattle and horses."

"Now that we've driven the Japanese away, will the Goguryeo people be grateful to us? Maybe at first they will."

"But what if we refuse to leave? What if we treat Goguryeo as territory belonging to the Northeast Army?"

"It won't be long before they start to see us as the new Japanese devils."

"Don't think it's impossible. That's human nature. When a new ruler doesn't bring them enough benefits, they will bring out the old ruler."

"Forget all the suffering, and only remember the few good things."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more serious:

"There's one more thing you shouldn't forget."

"The Japanese navy still maintains a formidable fighting capacity. Even though a third of it has been sunk, our Northeast Army's navy is still no match for them."

"They can send troops by sea at any time, and then we'll be bogged down in Goguryeo. Do you want to see that?"

Tang Yulin's brows furrowed deeply. "You mean, we're just going to hand over Goguryeo like this?"

Zhang Xueliang nodded repeatedly and said:

"Goguryeo is a useless entity; we should just focus on protecting our own territory."

Wang Yizhe looked at Zhang Xueming with a scrutinizing gaze, as if trying to determine his true intentions.

"but."

Zhang Xueming abruptly changed the subject, his voice rising sharply, "We can't leave Goguryeo to the Japanese either."

He went to the map and pointed to the mouth of the Yalu River with his finger:

"Look here, the mouth of the Yalu River is less than two hundred nautical miles from the Kingdom of Biqu."

"If the Japanese regain control of Goguryeo, they can rebuild their army bases on the Goguryeo Peninsula and cross the Yalu River at any time to invade Northeast China again."

"Today's victory will only be a brief respite. In a few months, the Japanese will come back with renewed force."

"We must take down Goguryeo, so that the battlefield will shift from the northeast to Goguryeo."

His finger moved upwards from the mouth of the Yalu River and pointed to the location of Sinuiju:

"Therefore, Goguryeo cannot be left to the Japanese."

"But we can't annex it either. Annexing it would invite intervention from the great powers, provoke resistance from the Goguryeo people, and leave the Northeast Army with an inescapable burden."

Tang Yulin got impatient and threw his cigarette butt on the ground.

"Fighting won't work, and not fighting won't work either, so what do you suggest we do?"

Zhang Xueming turned around and faced the three people, a strange expression on his face.

"Goguryeo has been a vassal state of China since ancient times."

He spoke slowly, as if carefully considering the weight of each word, "The Japanese annexation of Goguryeo was an invasion."

"If we also annex Goguryeo, in the eyes of the great powers, we will be no different from the Japanese."

"But what if the Goguryeo people themselves invite us in?"

The three of them were stunned at the same time.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Xueliang asked, frowning.

"The Japanese rule in Goguryeo was already on the verge of collapse."

Zhang Xueming sat back down at the table. "Thirty years of colonial rule made the Goguryeo people hate the Japanese to the bone."

"Now that we have annihilated the elite troops of the Japanese, it is as if we have avenged the Goguryeo people for thirty years."

"At this time, if an anti-Japanese force were to emerge within Goguryeo territory, they would proactively invite the Northeast Army to enter and help them expel the remaining Japanese forces and establish a government of their own for the Goguryeo people."

"What else do you think the great powers can say?"

Wang Yizhe's eyes lit up for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure:

"Does the Commander-in-Chief mean to support a puppet regime of Goguryeo?"

"It is not a puppet regime."

Zhang Xueming corrected him, "It's a shadow regime."

"A shadow regime composed of Goguryeo people themselves, who are grateful to the Northeast Army and willing to sign a mutual assistance treaty with the Northeast Army."

The three people inside the tent exchanged glances.

Tang Yulin was the first to react; he slapped his thigh and burst into laughter:

"Damn! You're so cunning! That was a brilliant move!"

"We're not going to fight Goguryeo; we're going to help the Goguryeo people liberate themselves! The foreign powers can't even accuse us of aggression!"

Zhang Xueliang's expression was somewhat complicated. He remained silent for a moment before asking:

"Where can you find a Goguryeo regime like this?"

"The Goguryeo royal family was all taken to Biqu by the Japanese. The remaining Goguryeo nobles were either bought off by the Japanese or killed. Who among them is qualified to represent Goguryeo?"

"There is one person," Zhang Xueming said.

All three people looked at him at the same time.

"Li Wanyong," Zhang Xueming uttered a name.

A subtle silence fell over the tent.

In Goguryeo, the name Yi Wan-yong was almost synonymous with "traitor".

He was the prime minister during the final period of the Goguryeo Dynasty, and the one who personally signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, handing over Goguryeo's sovereignty to the Japanese.

In the hearts of the Goguryeo people, his name was more hateful than that of the Japanese devils.

"Li Wanyong?"

Tang Yulin looked at him with disdain. "That old traitor? What qualifications does he have to represent Goguryeo?"

He is not qualified.

Zhang Xueming calmly said, "But he has a legitimate status with the Japanese."

"In the Goguryeo Governor's Office, which was supported by the Japanese, although Yi Wan-yong had retired, his family was still there, and his influence remained."

"If we can win him over and get him to turn against the Japanese, declare independence from Japanese rule, and invite the Northeast Army into the country, then we will have a legal advantage internationally."

"Would the Goguryeo people recognize him?" Zhang Xueliang questioned.

"Won't."

Zhang Xueming frankly admitted that "the Goguryeo people hated him to the bone."

"But that's not important. What's important is that he first gives us a reason to enter the country."

"Once the Northeast Army's tanks enter Pyongyang, and once we have completely wiped out the remaining Japanese forces, we will abandon them after we have served our purpose."

"It's not too late to support new forces in Goguryeo and kick away old traitors like Yi Wan-yong."

Wang Yizhe nodded slowly, but then raised a new question:

"Li Wanyong is currently in Seoul, and the Japanese are keeping a close watch on him."

"How do we contact him? And how do we persuade him to betray the Japanese?"

"Although he had a bad reputation among the Japanese, at least he had enough to eat and wear. The risk of betraying the Japanese was too great for him."

"This requires someone willing to die."

Zhang Xueming's gaze swept across the three men's faces, finally landing on Zhang Xueliang. A slight smile appeared on his lips. "Perfect timing, we just appointed a suicide squad leader."

Zhang Xueliang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"You mean Chen Cheng?"

"That's right."

Zhang Xueming leaned back and said, "Let him lead his suicide squad, sneak across the Yalu River, infiltrate Seoul, find Li Wanyong, and present him with our terms."

"The conditions are simple: either continue to be the Japanese devils' dogs, and when the Northeast Army enters Seoul, you will be dealt with along with the Japanese devils."

"Either stand up and declare your defection from the Japanese, and after the Northeast Army takes over Goguryeo, I guarantee your family's wealth and honor."

Tang Yulin laughed heartily, slapping the table and saying:

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Let that little devil Chen from the south do this kind of head-risking business. If it succeeds, we'll profit; if he dies, we won't care!"

The atmosphere inside the tent immediately became lively.

Zhang Xueming leaned back in his chair, gazing at the dark night sky outside the tent, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He knew very well that Goguryeo's real opponent in this move was not the Japanese.

The Japanese army on the Goguryeo Peninsula was practically nonexistent. Once the Kwantung Army was dealt with, the Northeast Army would hold an absolute advantage on the ground battlefield throughout Northeast Asia.

The Japanese could send troops from their homeland, but that would be a cross-sea operation. After losing the bridgehead on the Goguryeo Peninsula, no matter how powerful the Japanese navy was, it would not be able to win a protracted war on land.

The real variable lies in the north, between the White Bear and the League of Nations.

He knew those people too well; once Goguryeo was occupied and their interests were infringed upon, they would definitely stand up and bark like dogs.

Sending troops to Goguryeo was a risky move.

But if this risky move goes well, the Northeast Army will not only be the king of the Northeast, but will become the most formidable force in the entire Northeast Asia.

When that time comes, those people who want to cause him trouble will have to think twice before they try to find fault with themselves.

"It's settled then."

Zhang Xueming stood up, ending the discussion. "Reply to Chang Yuchun. The first step is to send troops directly into Goguryeo, advancing southwards without giving the Japanese a chance to react."

"The second step is to send Chen Cheng to Seoul. Doesn't he like being an envoy? Let him persuade Yi Wanyong to surrender."

"This matter is classified as top secret. No one is allowed to divulge a single word about it except for the four people present and Chang Yuchun."

"Whoever leaked it, don't blame me for turning my back on them."

The three people responded in unison.

Tang Yulin stood up and grinned:

"Young Marshal, do you think the Goguryeo people will be grateful to us?"

Zhang Xueming glanced at him and said calmly:

"Won't."

Tang Yulin's smile froze for a moment.

"But they'll be afraid of us."

Zhang Xueming added, "Sometimes fear is more useful than gratitude."

Tang Yulin was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly and walked out.

After resolving the Goguryeo issue, Zhang Xueming summoned his secretary. Next, he planned to write a proclamation to announce the victory nationwide, letting everyone know that the Northeast Army had not disgraced the Chinese people!