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

"commander!"

"Urgent! Something's happened!"

Zhang Xueming frowned, the system panel disappeared instantly, and his pupils returned to their normal deep black color.

"Come in and speak."

The door was pushed open, but more than one intelligence officer entered.

More chaotic footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the door, the sound of military boots clattering on the stone floor.

Immediately afterwards, Chang Yuchun was the first to step through the door. His military uniform still had dark red stains on it, his face was taut, and his brows were furrowed.

Following behind him was Li Wenzhong, who was holding a telegram in his hand and had a livid face.

Yuan Lang and Zhan Lang followed closely behind.

Then came Yu Zhishan, whose steps were somewhat hurried. He almost tripped on the threshold when he entered, and his face was full of unease.

Walking at the very back was Zhang Xueliang, whose expression was the most complex. His brows were furrowed, his lips were pressed into a line, and his eyes were filled with indescribable emotions.

Seven people filled Zhang Xueming's not-so-spacious room to the brim.

A tense atmosphere, like the impending storm, filled the air.

Zhang Xueming's gaze swept across the seven faces in turn, finally landing on the telegram in the intelligence officer's right hand.

"explain!"

"Something has happened in Fengtian."

The intelligence officer's voice was extremely solemn.

Zhang Xueming looked up instantly, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp:

"What happened?"

The intelligence officer took a deep breath, spread the telegram on the table, and began his report at a rapid pace.

"Commander, in order to fight the Japanese, you have mobilized the main force of the Northeast Army to Fengcheng."

"The troops in Fengtian City have been completely withdrawn, leaving only less than two regiments to garrison the city. This news reached Zang Shiyi's ears..."

"Zang Shiyi?"

Chang Yuchun interrupted him, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger, "Zang Shiyi, Chairman of Liaoning Province?"

"It's him."

The intelligence officer gritted his teeth and nodded. "He started secretly making connections the day after we left Fengtian, contacting a group of former bureaucrats and officers who remained in the city."

"Last night, he suddenly convened a meeting of officials from various government agencies in Fengtian City, and at the meeting produced a secret letter, saying that..."

The intelligence officer paused, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Zhang Xueliang, who was standing in the corner.

"Go on," Zhang Xueming said, his voice as cold as ice.

He said the letter was left to him by the young marshal.

The intelligence officer swallowed hard. "The letter says that he should take over the military and political power of the three northeastern provinces when necessary, and get rid of Zhang Xueming."

"Zang Shiyi read this letter aloud to the public, saying that the young marshal had been kidnapped by you, and that you had arbitrarily mobilized the main force of the Northeast Army to leave Fengtian, treating the safety of the Northeast as a joke."

"Under the guise of restoring order, he immediately announced that he would take over the military and political power of Fengtian City, and also sent people to control the city's granaries and armories."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The intelligence officer continued speaking, pouring out all the remaining intelligence like beans being spilled.

"The riots were not limited to Fengtian."

"Before launching the uprising, Zang Shiyi had already sent people to contact several surrounding counties."

"The garrison troops in Fushun, Tieling, and Liaoyang all responded and raised the banner of support for Zang Shiyi."

"According to the telegrams we intercepted, Zang Shiyi also sent messengers to Changchun, Jilin, Qiqihar and other places, calling on local military and political leaders to join the righteous cause."

"Now Fengtian City is full of Zang Shiyi's men. The city gates are closed, soldiers are patrolling the streets, and all telecommunications in the city have been cut off."

"Our remaining personnel sent out a final urgent telegram before the incident, after which they lost contact with Fengtian."

After the intelligence officer finished speaking, he stood there, beads of sweat streaming down his forehead.

Upon hearing this, Chang Yuchun abruptly turned his head, his leopard-like eyes widening like copper bells as he stared intently at Zhang Xueliang, who was standing in the corner.

His fingers gripped the holster at his waist tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out one by one.

At almost the same time, Li Wenzhong also looked at Zhang Xueliang. His reaction was more direct than Chang Yuchun's; he had already drawn his gun.

Yuan Lang and Zhan Lang surrounded Zhang Xueliang from the front and back.

Zhang Xueliang's face flushed red instantly, as if he had been slapped hard in the face.

He instinctively took half a step back, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud.

Zhang Xueming slowly stood up from his chair.

He turned his head, his emotionless eyes looking at Zhang Xueliang.

"OK."

Zhang Xueming's voice was icy cold, as if it came from the depths of hell.

"Big brother."

"You dare to play tricks on me right under my nose? You're really something."

I really underestimated you!

Zhang Xueliang's face turned from red to purple, and then to ashen.

He took a sudden step forward, letting out a roar.

"I don't!"

He was so angry that he was trembling all over, his eyes were bloodshot, his lips were shaking, and he was pointing his finger at his chest.

"I'm your older brother, would I harm you?"

Zhang Xueliang's voice was filled with extreme grievance and anger: "Being with you means my life is in your hands!"

"I would only allow Zang Shiyi to raise the banner of rebellion so openly if I wanted to die!"

"He's using my name to rebel; he clearly intends to frame us and sow discord between us brothers. This is a trap!"

"Can't you tell? This is a trap!"

After he finished speaking, he gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes were red.

Zhang Xueming stared at him coldly for about five seconds.

For those five seconds, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Yu Zhishan stood in the corner, his forehead covered in cold sweat, not daring to even breathe.

"You'd better not have it."

Zhang Xueming finally spoke, his voice still as cold as ice, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

"If I find out that you have absolutely nothing to do with this..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but there was no need to say anything more.

His eyes had said it all.

Zhang Xueming shifted his gaze, looked back at the intelligence officer, and his voice suddenly became sharp:

"Where are Zhang Zuoxiang? Liu Duoquan? Tang Yulin? Where are they?"

These three names refer to the chief of staff of the Northeast Army, his trusted general, and a veteran who was stationed in Fengtian.

With them in Fengtian, how could Zang Shiyi, a civil official, possibly cause any trouble?

The intelligence officer's expression grew even uglier.

"They've all been detained."

"Zang Shiyi lured them to the provincial government under the pretense of a meeting, and then sent people to seal off the meeting room."

"The guards of the three officers were disarmed, and none of them escaped."

"waste!"

Chang Yuchun slammed his fist on the table.

"And it gets even worse."

The intelligence officer's voice began to tremble. "According to the intelligence we intercepted, the Japanese 2nd Division has made unusual movements in the Lushun direction."

"Their vanguard has begun to move north, and their destination is most likely Fengtian."

Upon hearing this, even Chang Yuchun fell silent.

Lushun.

2st Division.

That was one of the most elite units of the Kwantung Army, stationed at the Lushun naval port, controlling the southern tip of the entire Liaodong Peninsula.

If the 2nd Division marches north from Lushun and Fengtian is occupied by the Japanese, the Northeast Army's rear will be cut off, and the main force of the Northeast Army will be in a desperate situation of being attacked from both sides.

Zhang Xueming felt a surge of rage.

"You son of a bitch!"

His voice was filled with boundless killing intent.

"They actually betrayed their country and betrayed us! Those traitors! I shouldn't have been so lenient and killed them all!"

Every word he uttered was squeezed out from between his teeth.

He knew better than anyone else that when he transmigrated, the Northeast Army was already riddled with problems.

Over twenty years, the Japanese infiltrated Northeast China like a sieve, spreading their influence everywhere from the military to the government, from merchants to landlords; there were traitors and undercover agents who had taken money from the Japanese.

They could keep things in check while Zhang Zuolin was alive, but once he died, their true colors were revealed.

After the September 18 Incident, these beasts quickly knelt down and licked the boots of the Japanese, surrendering cities and defecting to the enemy, resulting in the complete fall of the three northeastern provinces in less than three months, and 30 million compatriots becoming slaves of a conquered nation.

After Zhang Xueming transmigrated, he did not completely eliminate this group of beasts, but only killed a few ringleaders.

On the one hand, he had no time; once he traveled through time, it was always war.

On the other hand, he thought that by fighting the Japanese and winning a series of great victories, he could deter these disloyal guys and make them give up their thoughts of betraying the country.

Looking back now, I realize I was too soft-hearted.

These people must be killed.

If you leave them a breath, they can stab you in the back.

Zhang Xueming took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to look at the intelligence officer:

"Where are Li Changkong and Zhu Wudi? Are they still at the airport?"

"It's still there."

The intelligence officer quickly replied, "The airport is under our control."

"Captain Li sent a telegram saying that they had secured the airport's runway and hangar, but Zang Shiyi in the city had already sent troops to surround the airport's perimeter, and the two sides were in a standoff."

"Captain Li said that he would never retreat without your orders, but he also said that no one knows how long they can hold out."

Nobody knows how long they can hold out.

These words were like a thorn, piercing the hearts of everyone in the room.

There were only about 500 people at the airport, so how many were surrounding them?

One thousand? Three thousand?

Or did Zang Shiyi transfer the entire garrison of Fengtian there?

If the airport is lost, Zhang Xueming will lose the only fast route between himself and Fengtian, and if he wants to fight his way back, he will have to rely on foot.

Zhang Xueming remained silent.

His fingers started tapping on the table again, this time faster than ever before, tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, as fast as a machine gun.

Everyone was watching him, waiting for him to make a decision.

Just then, Zhang Xueliang, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

"Xue Ming"

He called out, his tone devoid of the previous grievance and anger, replaced by a tentative one, "There is someone who might be able to help."

Zhang Xueming turned his head and looked at him.

"explain."