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

Lushun was the former headquarters of the Kwantung Army.

The applause and salutes in the conference room had just subsided, but Zhang Xueming did not take his seat.

He stood before the main seat, his hands resting on the dark green woolen tablecloth, his gaze sweeping over every face present.

The early winter sunlight streamed through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a sharp shadow on him.

"Gentlemen."

"My elder brother has handed over the Northeast Army to me. From today onwards, the lives of 300,000 brothers and the safety of 30 million people in the four provinces of Northeast China are on my shoulders."

The meeting room was completely silent.

"A new broom sweeps clean."

A cold smile appeared on Zhang Xueming's lips. "Today, in front of all of you old brothers, I will light these three fires."

He held up one finger.

"The first fire."

"Effective immediately, all railway rights in the four northeastern provinces and the three Korean territories are reclaimed."

"All railways built, operated, and controlled by the Japanese shall be taken over by the Northeast Border Defense Army."

"All stations, locomotive depots, warehouses, and repair shops along the line will be confiscated."

"All Japanese railway workers should be buried alive, not a single one spared!"

Before he finished speaking, gasps of shock filled the conference room.

"Effective immediately, all property owned by the Japanese in the four northeastern provinces and the three Korean territories shall be confiscated."

"Including but not limited to: factories, mines, banks, businesses, warehouses, docks, real estate, and land."

"The confiscated property, except for strategic materials such as railways, mines, and arsenals which were allocated by the military, was used entirely to compensate the people of Northeast China and the soldiers of the Northeast Army for their losses."

"Priority compensation will be given to the families of soldiers killed in action, wounded soldiers, and displaced civilians who suffered during the war."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Xueming placed his hands on the table and slowly asked:

Does anyone have any objections?

The air in the conference room felt frozen.

Tang Yulin was the first to react.

"General... are you serious?"

Tang Yulin's voice was a little dry. "The South Manchuria Railway was an industry that the Japanese had been running for almost forty years. The coal mines in Fushun, the steel mills in Anshan, and the iron mines in Benxi were all the lifeblood of the Japanese."

"If we take all of these, the Japanese will probably fight us to the death!"

"A fight to the death?"

Zhang Xueming turned to look at Tang Yulin, his face expressionless. "Uncle Tang, tell me, how many of our civilians did the Japanese kill in Lushun?"

"Thirty years ago, during the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese massacred the people of Lushun. Of the 20,000 civilians killed, only 36 people remained to carry the corpses."

"Over the past thirty years, the Japanese devils have built railways, mines, and factories in Northeast China. Which of these projects wasn't accomplished with the lives of Northeasterners? Which mine doesn't hold the bones of Chinese miners?"

Every word he uttered reeked of bloodshed.

"A fight to the death? We and the Japanese have been at odds for a long time."

"From the day my father was bombed to death in Huanggutun, from the day the Japanese began massacring the people of Lushun, from the day I used a blunt knife to cut off the first Japanese soldier's head in front of Wan Zhong's tomb, there has been no room for reconciliation between us and the Japanese."

Tang Yulin opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't utter a single word.

Ma Zhanshan slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Well said!"

The veteran who had earned a great reputation in the Jiangqiao Anti-Japanese War had his face flushed red and veins bulging on his forehead.

"The Japanese devils occupied our Northeast, killed our people, and we're supposed to reason with them? What a load of rubbish!"

"The commander is right. The South Manchuria Railway is the Japanese's lifeblood, sucking the blood out of Northeast China for forty years. It should have been pulled out long ago!"

"Confiscating the Japanese soldiers' property and using it to compensate our people and brothers in Northeast China for their losses is only right and proper!"

He turned around, saluted Zhang Xueming, and said, "Ma Zhanshan, Chairman of Heilongjiang Province, supports the Marshal's decision!"

Chang Yuchun and Zhu Wudi exchanged a glance and stood up at the same time.

Yu Xuezhong sat in his seat without saying a word.

He had a cigarette between his fingers, and the ash had accumulated to a considerable length.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Zhang Xueming and Tang Yulin several times before finally settling on the large Hetian jade tiger-shaped seal on the conference table.

He nodded slightly.

"The commander is right. We have a blood feud with the Japanese long ago."

"Even if we don't take over the Japanese railways and mines, will the Japanese stop attacking?"

"Although the Kwantung Army has been decimated by us, the Japanese still have over a million troops on the Japanese mainland. They will come back sooner or later."

"Instead of leaving the railways and mines to the Japanese as war reparations, we might as well take them now and use the Japanese money to fight them."

Wang Yizhe and Liu Duoquan also expressed their opinions:

"This humble general obeys the commander-in-chief's order!"

Zhang Zuoxiang remained silent.

He sat upright to Zhang Xueliang's left, his hands resting flat on his knees, his eyes lowered, as if deep in thought.

As a veteran and senior official of the Northeast Army, he was most aware of the consequences of this decision.

The South Manchuria Railway and the Japanese industry in Northeast China formed the foundation of the Japanese Empire's operations on the Chinese mainland for decades, with a value exceeding one billion yen, which was equivalent to several years' worth of the entire Japanese empire's fiscal revenue.

If Zhang Xueming were to strike with that blade, the Japanese headquarters would absolutely go mad.

The next attack will probably not be on the scale of the Kwantung Army.

But he also understood that, as Zhang Xueming said, there was no room for reconciliation between them and the Japanese.

On the night of September 18th, when the Japanese soldiers charged towards Fengtian City with bayonets at their feet, there was no room for reconciliation.

Zhang Zuoxiang raised his head and slowly stood up.

"General."

His voice was incredibly steady, "Zhang Zuoxiang supports the Marshal."

"The Military and Political Office of the Four Northeastern Provinces shall begin its operation immediately, starting with the sealing off of the Jilin branch of the South Manchuria Railway Company."

Passed unanimously.

Even Tang Yulin, who had initially wanted to offer some advice, nodded heavily at this moment and grinned, saying:

"Damn it, I just feel this is too big a deal, I'm afraid I can't handle it."

"But since the commander-in-chief has put it this way, what am I afraid of! Rehe Province will follow suit!"

Sitting in the main seat, Zhang Xueliang watched this scene, his heart filled with complex emotions.

These generals had never shown him such support before, and he had to admit that his second brother was indeed more suitable to be the King of the Northeast.

wrong.

He is now the Premier of the Executive Yuan, holding a very high position, while his second brother is the King of the Northeast.

fair enough.

A relieved smile appeared on Zhang Xueliang's lips. He placed his hands on the table, crossed them, and said nothing, simply looking at Zhang Xueming quietly.

He knew that the second son still had two fires to burn.

After the noise in the conference room subsided, Zhang Xueming spoke again.

"The first fire was set on the Japanese devils."

His gaze swept across everyone's faces. "The second fire will burn us."

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed immediately.

The generals present exchanged glances, wondering what their new commander-in-chief intended to do to them.

Zhang Xueming didn't keep them waiting too long.

"Effective immediately, the Northeast Border Defense Army will implement the Administrative Committee system throughout the entire army."

"A brigade is set up with a political department, a regiment with a political commissar, a battalion with a political instructor, and a company with a political instructor."

He paused, waiting for everyone to process the meaning of his words.

"The political commissar does not command combat operations."

"They are in charge of political education, military discipline supervision, military pay distribution, and soldiers' welfare."

"The political commissar has no right to interfere with the orders of the military commander."

"But the political commissar has the right to report any violations of military discipline directly to the higher political department, including withholding military pay, beating and scolding soldiers, smuggling soil, and desertion in the face of the enemy."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere in the conference room.

The generals present were all veterans who had led troops into battle and were well aware of the significance behind this system.

In the old army, the company commander was the local tyrant of the company, and the regimental commander was the local tyrant of the regiment. The soldiers' pay, food, promotion, and punishment were all determined by the military commander's word.

Once the political commissar system is established, it is equivalent to having a pair of eyes next to every military commander, watching their every move at all times.

This is to put all the power of officers in a cage.

Zhang Xueming ignored the strange expressions on everyone's faces and continued:

"The first batch of political commissars, totaling 10,000 men, have already assembled at the drill ground. After the meeting, they will accompany you to various military units to complete the military reorganization."

"These people will be assigned to each company."

"They helped soldiers learn to read and write letters, helped soldiers solve family difficulties, and stood up for soldiers."

"The pay will be distributed by the instructor, and the distribution list will be posted publicly. If even a single penny is missing, the instructor will be held responsible."

A long silence followed in the meeting room.

Yu Xuezhong's hand froze in mid-air, and the cigarette ash finally fell, landing on the tablecloth in front of him, leaving a small scorch mark.

His expression was complicated.

He was a commander, and he knew all too well what the political commissar system meant for officers.

This means that he can no longer dispose of his subordinates at will, and he can no longer manipulate military pay.

But at the same time, he also knew that this army really needed such a knife.

Some of the old troops in the Northeast Army have been steeped in warlord habits for too long. If they are not given a radical overhaul, they will rot to the bone sooner or later.

Ma Zhanshan's reaction was the most direct. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, stood up, and said:

"General, I, Old Ma, wholeheartedly support this!"

"I've long been fed up with the officials withholding military pay and beating and scolding soldiers."

"With the political commissar in place, those bastards who leech off soldiers won't be able to reach out anymore!"

Chang Yuchun, Zhu Wudi, Li Changkong, and other young officers stood up almost simultaneously, their faces filled with fervor.

"If the political commissar system can be implemented, the Northeast Army will no longer be an ordinary warlord force, but a truly iron army!"

Li Changkong rarely spoke, but his voice was calm, yet every word he uttered was resounding.

Chang Yuchun clenched his fist.

"General, I am willing to be the first in the army to implement the administrative committee system, setting an example for the entire army!"

Tang Yulin opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

He had led troops his entire life and knew all too well what kind of people his regimental and battalion commanders were.

Those who exploit soldiers, resell military rations, embezzle salaries, and beat and abuse soldiers—which of these is lacking?

Once the political commissar system is implemented, won't these people cause chaos?

But then he thought again, he had already witnessed how ruthless the commander-in-chief was in Fengcheng and Lushun.

Since he dared to announce this system in public, it means that he had made thorough preparations long ago.

Anyone who dares to object will probably not live tonight.

Thinking of this, Tang Yulin slowly nodded:

"Whatever the commander says goes, I have no objection."

It was passed unanimously again in the meeting room.

Sitting in the main seat, Zhang Xueliang watched as Zhang Xueming calmly presented one groundbreaking decision after another, observing the entire process of the generals in the room going from shock to silence, and from silence to support. Suddenly, a thought surged in his mind.

Handing over the Northeast Army to his second brother was perhaps the best decision he ever made in his life.

What no one knew was that these so-called political commissars were actually assassins summoned by Zhang Xueming.