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

Lushun.

"Jiangnan is the Chairman's territory. If I go there, wouldn't I be like a lamb entering a tiger's den? I'm not going!"

Zhang Xueliang was determined that even if he died, he would not leave Northeast China.

But Zhang Xueming's next words made Zhang Xueliang beam with pride and brimming with confidence, so much so that he couldn't wait to fly to Nanjing.

"Brother, did you think I'd let you go to Nanjing all alone?"

Zhang Xueming sat down by the charcoal brazier, picked up the fire tongs and poked at the red-hot charcoal. Sparks crackled and jumped up, looking like a swarm of startled fireflies in the dim light.

"Bring Yu Xuezhong with you."

Zhang Xueliang paused.

"Yu Xuezhong?"

"right."

Zhang Xueming said in a calm tone, "Yu Xuezhong, and the 200,000 elite Northeast Army troops under his command."

The study was silent for a full five seconds.

Zhang Xueliang's eyes gradually brightened, as if someone had lit two lamps in his pupils.

Two hundred thousand troops.

Yu Xuezhong's 200,000-strong army consisted of the elite of the Northeast Army, veteran troops who had fought their way out of the bloodbath of the Central Plains War. They were not the newly formed security regiments, but truly capable soldiers.

His reluctance to go to Nanjing was never because he didn't want to be the Premier of the Executive Yuan.

The Premier of the Executive Yuan is a position of immense power, holding the reins of authority over the entire country. How could he possibly not want to be the Premier?

What he feared was that after arriving in Nanjing, he would be without a single soldier and would be manipulated like clay by the Chairman.

Since we're going to be puppets anyway, we might as well stay in Northeast China.

At least the second son is his own brother, so he won't kill him.

He has a tiger-skin recliner, a charcoal brazier, food and drink, and lives a fairly comfortable life here.

But if he led an army of 200,000 south, that would be a different story.

Having troops at your command gives you confidence.

The Chairman wants to control him? He'll have to ask the 200,000 guns if they agree first.

Staying in Northeast China, he was Zhang Xueming's puppet, controlled by the second son to command the other lords...

No, now the second brother probably doesn't even need to hold him hostage. Just his own reputation is enough to command the entire Northeast Army. He has become a dispensable mascot.

But if he leads an army of 200,000 south to Jiangnan, he will become the King of Jiangnan.

Zhang Xueliang's breathing quickened. He turned around abruptly, and the fear and confusion in his eyes when he looked at Zhang Xueming were gone, replaced by an irrepressible excitement.

"Second brother, do you keep your word?"

"You're really going to give me Yu Xuezhong's 200,000 men?"

"for you."

Zhang Xueming didn't even look up, continuing to stir the charcoal fire. "Leaving 100,000 men in the Northeast is enough to guard Liaodong and the peninsula. Take the rest with you."

Zhang Xueliang took a few steps in the room, then suddenly stopped and said in a tentative tone:

"There's one more thing."

"Um?"

"I want your guard team, the one that Wolf Warrior led."

Zhang Xueming looked up and smiled.

That smile carried a hint of expected understanding, and a touch of helpless resignation—"You really know how to pick people."

"You really have a good eye for things."

He placed the fire tongs on the edge of the stove and leaned back.

"The Wolf Warrior team is the elite I selected; each one of them is a special forces soldier capable of taking on a hundred men."

"You're something else, you just ask for it without even asking."

Zhang Xueliang chuckled, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"I've already seen how strong they are in the theater."

He was referring to the events of the night of September 18th.

Having that team around is more effective than a whole guard regiment; at least it can prevent him from being assassinated.

"OK."

Zhang Xueming nodded. "Since you've taken a liking to it, then you can have it."

He spoke very generously, but then his tone suddenly turned serious.

"But brother, there are some things I need to explain to you."

"The first thing you should do after you arrive in Nanjing is to move the Executive Yuan to Hucheng."

Zhang Xueliang was taken aback: "Move to Hucheng?"

"right."

Zhang Xueming stood up, walked to the map of China hanging on the wall, and pointed to the location of the Yangtze River estuary.

"Nanjing is Chiang Kai-shek's territory; the Party headquarters, the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics are all his eyes and ears."

"He can hear you even if you fart while you're working there."

"It's true that you are the Premier of the Executive Yuan, but in Nanjing, you are like a tiger in a cage. No matter how sharp your teeth are, you can't bite anyone."

His finger moved eastward along the Yangtze River and stopped at a dot marked "Hucheng".

"Toki is different."

"This is the industrial heart of China. The Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the Hanyang Arsenal branch, the Fuxin Flour Mill, and the Shenxin Yarn Mill are all located here."

"More than 30% of the essence of Jiangnan is concentrated around Hucheng."

"If you occupy this place, your military expenses will be covered, and you won't have to beg for money from the Chairman."

"More importantly, the defenses of Hucheng are weak. You go there to strengthen the local defenses, and you'll be the boss. You can do whatever you want, however you want."

Zhang Xueliang nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming.

The second brother is right.

Hucheng is the economic lifeline of China. Whoever controls Hucheng controls the money supply of Jiangnan.

With money comes soldiers, with soldiers comes power, and with power, his position as Premier of the Executive Yuan is not just an empty shell.

But then another question occurred to him, and he frowned.

"But...Toki is by the sea."

He pointed to the coastline east of Hucheng on the map, his voice filled with worry.

"The Japanese fleet can reach the mouth of the Yangtze River at any time, and the range of their naval guns is sufficient to cover the entire city of Hucheng."

"By leaving 200,000 troops there, aren't they practically right under the Japanese devils' noses?"

"If the Japanese navy comes to bomb us, 200,000 people will be sitting ducks."

"Like a lamb entering a tiger's den, I'm courting death."

Zhang Xueming looked at the map without turning his head.

"What are you afraid of?"

His tone carried an undeniable authority.

"The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."

"You, the Premier of the Executive Yuan, can't even guard the country's borders. What will the people think of you? What will those old fogies in the legislature think of you?"

Zhang Xueliang opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhang Xueming did not give him a chance to speak.

"The Japanese navy? Brother, have you forgotten how many Japanese warships sank off the coast of Port Arthur?"

"The Japanese navy's carrier battle group has been severely weakened, and the remaining ships are scattered in various places. The forces that can be mobilized to deal with Tojo are limited."

"and......."

Zhang Xueming drew his finger about two finger widths westward from Hucheng and pointed to another marker.

"I will have Li Changkong lead an air force squadron to Wuxi Airport."

"The straight-line distance from Wuxi to Hucheng is less than 100 kilometers, and a fighter jet can reach Hucheng in 15 minutes after takeoff."

He turned around and looked into Zhang Xueliang's eyes.

"The first thing you did after you arrived in Tochigi was to abolish the Japanese concession."

Zhang Xueliang's pupils contracted slightly.

The Japanese concession in Hucheng was their largest stronghold in Jiangnan, where they stationed marines and stockpiled large quantities of military supplies. It was a knife stuck in the heart of China's economy.

"As long as the Japanese concessions still exist, the Japanese will always have a legal bridgehead, which they can use as an excuse to increase their troops and land at any time."

"Therefore you must abolish the concession."

"After it was abolished, the Japanese no longer had a legitimate reason to station troops in Tojo."

"Without ground guidance, the air force is invincible."

"No matter how many Japanese warships come, Li Changkong can sink them all."

Zhang Xueming had already thought things through thoroughly, and he had gone to great lengths to get his elder brother to come to Jiangnan.

"Moreover, moving the Executive Yuan to Toshiro and expelling the Japanese concessions together is a huge pledge of allegiance."

"The hearts of the people across the country will be on your side, and only then will you be truly secure in your position as Premier of the Executive Yuan."

"At that time, you will also be a hero who fights the Japanese, and you will win over the hearts of the people. With the hearts of the people and power in your hands, you will be the true King of Jiangnan."

As Zhang Xueliang listened, his breathing became increasingly heavy.

He could almost see that scene.

Standing on the balcony of the Executive Yuan in the city, he announced to the whole country the abolition of the Japanese concession. The people of the whole city poured into the streets, shouting his name loudly.

What a magnificent sight that would be!

"Once you've secured your position as Premier of the Executive Yuan,"

Zhang Xueming's voice continued, "You and I are brothers, one in the south and one in the north, but the fate of this land of China is in the hands of our Zhang family."

"My father, if he could see this scene in heaven, he could rest in peace."

These words struck Zhang Xueliang hard.

Old photos of the Marshal's Mansion still hang on the wall of his study. Zhang Zuolin is wearing his Grand Marshal's uniform, with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, exuding an imposing aura.

The old general who fought his way out of the bandits' camp had a lifelong wish to ensure that the Zhang family could establish themselves on this land and never have to depend on anyone else again.

Now, the second-in-command is in the north, commanding a formidable army, and has driven the Japanese out of Liaodong.

He went south and, as the Premier of the Executive Yuan, took charge of Hucheng, ruling over half of the Jiangnan region.

With two generals from the Zhang family, supporting each other from the north and south, the Zhang family truly ruled the land of China!

Zhang Xueliang's blood surged through his veins. He nodded fiercely, his eyes even turning red.

"Okay! Second brother, I'll listen to you!"

Zhang Xueming nodded in satisfaction, sat back down by the charcoal brazier, and picked up the fire tongs to stir the charcoal pieces again.

"Once you've secured your position as the King of Jiangnan, I have other plans for you."

Just as Zhang Xueliang was about to respond, something suddenly flashed through his mind.

King of Jiangnan?

He froze for a moment.

wrong.

As the Premier of the Executive Yuan, the highest administrative official of China, he was legally in charge of all national affairs. His second son then proposed making him the King of Jiangnan.

The title "King of Jiangnan" itself implies that he only governs Jiangnan.

What about Jiangbei? What about the Northeast? What about the whole of China?

Moreover, why should he, as the King of Jiangnan, still have to listen to the second son's arrangements?

I am your brother.

I am the Premier of the Executive Yuan.

You are the commander of the Northeast Army. Whether it is for public or private reasons, you should be listening to me. Why is it the other way around?

Zhang Xueliang looked at Zhang Xueming, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Second brother, after I become the Premier of the Executive Yuan, who will listen to whom?"