The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

After Liu Gongbu had settled his troops and came in, he saw a group of people studying a map again. He coughed, attracting the attention of several people, poured a bowl of water for everyone, and drank it down without hesitation.

"This battle is the most boring. We've fought our way through countless obstacles, and the Qing are incredibly weak. If we stop, the enemy will have the final say on when to fight. How can that work? If those Songfan people cower and dare not attack, won't our efforts here be in vain? I think we should send a small force to lure the Qing army out and see if they dare to accept the attack."

Zhao Dabao interjected, "That won't work. I think you're upset that you weren't there when the Beiyang Army was annihilated last time! Haha. The Chairman and the others transferred you here, so you must train our cavalry. Let's wait and see if the Qing army takes the bait. If not, we can use the next plan."

After liberating XZ, Liu Gongbu went directly to Sichuan with some wounded soldiers. Liu Gongbu was a cavalryman, so Zhang Yinghao naturally sent him to Shaanxi to train cavalry.

"I heard the Sichuan railway is about to be completed, but I haven't seen what a train looks like yet."

"Come on! Aren't we surveying the railway line from Baoji to Xi'an right now? You'll see it later."

"Yes, the Northwest is too vast. It's impossible without a railway. Whether it's two legs or four legs, it's difficult."

"Didn't they say they were going to build an assembly plant in Xi'an? The four wheels will be available soon. I think having them would be great."

“So we still need to build the road?”

Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this. Whether it was a railway or a highway, the right thing to do was to build the road.

The regimental political commissar said, "Building railways and roads, which you are considering, are major tasks and must be done. However, that is not our job. After this battle, I estimate that we will march north and east. It is not certain when we will be able to come to this place. Lao Bu, how do you feel about the Mongolian cavalry you trained this time?"

"Haha, Political Commissar, these Mongols are truly a people born to ride on horseback. They've already been howling for a long time."

"Alright, let's speed up the training. Everyone, stop chatting and go to the troops. Check the fortifications carefully. Don't be careless."

The political commissar left immediately after he finished speaking, and several people followed him.

At this time, the news of the PLA's entry into Gansu also reached the Qing officials stationed in Lanzhou. Everyone immediately knew what Gansu was about to face.

At this point, the entire Gansu region presented an interesting situation: the closer to Shaanxi, the more favorable the people who stayed there were towards the Forward Party and the People's Liberation Army. Those who had no favorable impression of the PLA had already moved to Lanzhou or from Mongolia. After all, those who favored Shaanxi were not landlords or gentry, but rather the poor and tenant farmers. Those who did not favor Shaanxi were landlords and gentry, and they had no shortage of money to move.

Regardless of how smoothly the military operation went, Zhang Feng convened a combat meeting in Qinzhou at 3:11 PM on November 14. Political Commissar Cai Zhonghe, Chief of Staff Zhao Jinshan, and other CMC leaders and logistics personnel attended the meeting.

Political Commissar Cai Zhonghe stood up and said first: "Comrades, the Qing army's regular troops in Gansu only have 40,000 people at most, but Gansu has too many armed forces. The Qing court sent a letter to all parts of Gansu, asking landlords and gentry of the Han, Hui, and Baoan ethnic groups to recruit soldiers and "train brave soldiers for defense." If all the armed forces in Gansu can be summoned, the total strength of Gansu and Qinghai may be 200,000, which means 400,000 or even 500,000 troops. Because they are all militias with sticks and no firearms, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are armed indiscriminately.

But are they really organized to resist and defend us? I think it's the other way around. They're organized more to prevent the Qing Dynasty from levying heavy taxes and extortion. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I think it's a good thing, as it shows that the Qing Dynasty has completely lost the support of the people in Gansu. Of course, everything has two personalities, which shows that the people's lives in Gansu are difficult and the people are tough, which will also bring certain dangers to our comrades. So now we have to establish a principle: as long as there is no armed resistance to our land reform, these local armed forces can be retained for the time being, but anyone who organizes to resist the land reform must be resolutely suppressed. While suppressing and carrying out land reform, the nature of each armed force and what ethnic group they belong to must also be clearly identified...

After Cai Zhonghe finished speaking, Zhang Feng continued, "Comrades, have you ever thought about this question? There are so many local armed forces in Gansu. If the Qing Dynasty organized them, would we be able to invade Gansu so easily?"

Zhang Feng did not allow his comrades to answer, but directly said: "It's not that the Qing Dynasty does not want to organize these people, but it simply does not dare to organize them. If these armed forces are organized, the first thing they will do is to overthrow the Qing government. Moreover, there are too many internal conflicts in Gansu. The Han and the Han have been fighting each other for hundreds of years, and ethnic conflicts are very serious. They are simply unable to gather a unified force. So when we are still on the offensive, these are not a problem. However, these places in Gansu are very serious in armed conflict, so we must take advantage of the momentum of our large-scale offensive to confiscate all local firearms and carry out land reform while confiscating them. Gansu is now a vast land with a sparse population, so we will directly carry out forced land reform..."

After Zhang Feng finished speaking, Chief of Staff Zhao Jinshan took over and said directly: "The cavalry troops in the Northwest region can be said to come and go like the wind. How to completely annihilate them and prevent them from wreaking havoc in the area is our most important issue. Now I have good news for you comrades. A telegram has come from Jizhou. Ma Hongbin, the son of Ma Fulu, one of the Three Ma in the Northwest, has joined the revolution by chance. The Chairman had foresight and sent Comrade Ma Hongbin to work in Gansu. Now Comrade Ma Hongbin has launched an uprising in Jizhou, and our troops have taken control of Jizhou."

"Now, apart from Ma Fulu, who died heroically in the fight against the Eight-Nation Alliance during the Gengzi Year, the other two Ma and their families are now in our liberated areas, right? I think their family is called Liang Hui, right?"

"Yes, Ma Fuxiang and Ma Fushou are now in our prisoner camp. According to Zuo Zongtang, some of them started out as rebels, but these three Ma's started out as militia, with the goal of protecting the country and the people. They have always pursued equality between Hui and Han people, so they are called good Hui. However, whether they started out as rebels or militia, they were all helpless choices made under the oppression of the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty. As long as their goal is not to split the country, we can consider them righteous. Regardless of whether they are Hui or Han, we treat them equally. We have freedom of religious belief and national equality. Of course, if we overthrow the Qing Dynasty and they still hinder our revolution, they will become reactionaries. As for the armed forces that oppose the people, we naturally need to eliminate them all..."

Only when thoughts are unified can actions be coordinated. This is the fine style of the Forward Party.

Ma Hongbin exploited the advantageous terrain near Shaanxi and Sichuan to successfully carry out his work in Jizhou. With the PLA now advancing en masse, he launched a sudden uprising in Jizhou. While expanding his army, he vigorously mobilized the people to join the revolution. Because of its borders with Sichuan and Shaanxi, Jizhou was the most active location for progressive forces. Before Zhang Feng entered Shaanxi, 90% of Gansu's progressive forces were active in the Jizhou area. So, once everything was ready, Ma Hongbin suddenly launched an uprising in Jizhou and took control of the city.

Gansu is poor, but it is located in the northwest, right on the way to the west. In order to stabilize the west, the Qing Dynasty still had many patrol camps here, most of which were stationed in Gansu.

Due to pressure from Sichuan and Shaanxi, Gansu's patrol battalions were no longer stationed on the border with Sichuan and Shaanxi. Instead, they were stationed in towns inland. Ma Hongbin was self-aware. The Qing army in Gansu currently comprised tens of thousands of troops, all veterans of the Northwest. While their weapons and equipment were inferior, they were battle-hardened and had considerable combat effectiveness.

If they went south, Ma Hongbin's own men would be no match for them. Because Ma Hongbin's troops, apart from the comrades originally from Sichuan, were all temporarily expanded troops, he immediately sent a telegram requesting support from Zhang Feng and his men.

"Immediately send a telegram to the troops advancing into Cheng County, asking them to provide immediate support. At the same time, send a telegram to the Chairman and others to see if they can send troops from Sichuan into Jiangzhou."

"it is good."

The troops stationed in Lueyang, originally preparing to attack Gansu, had already departed, and the main force stationed in Hanzhong had also set out for Mian County. Upon receiving the telegram, they immediately accelerated their advance, joining Ma Hongbin and his men along the way to completely liberate the Jiezhou area. Continuing along the Qishan Road, areas like Jiezhou no longer needed to be on guard against Qing forces, as they had become the core of the liberation zone, surrounded by liberated areas. Unless the Qing army could infiltrate, these areas would become isolated islands, allowing the PLA soldiers to liberate them one by one.

Regimental Commander Li Fugui led his troops on a rapid march into Jizhou. While Ma Hongbin's troops weren't particularly effective, they could still intimidate. Adding a regiment of regular troops, their numbers could reach nearly 6,000 in a very short time. With a slight expansion, the force could reach over 10,000. Completing land reform in Jizhou would be a breeze, and his promotion to divisional commander wouldn't take long. Even further operations into the heart of Gansu wouldn't be a problem. Li Fugui planned to bring Ma Hongbin's troops under his command after entering Jizhou.

This was more important than fighting. Ma Hongbin was a believer in the Green God religion, so he didn't join the Party. Chairman Zhang Yinghao had long said that the Party's command of the gun was an untouchable principle, which was why Li Fugui attached such importance to it.

When Li Fugui saw Ma Hongbin, he said directly: "Comrade Ziyin, I am Li Fugui, and this is Political Commissar Zhang Tao. We have been ordered to garrison the Jiangzhou area. You have made great contributions to the revolution."

"Comrade Li Fugui, Comrade Zhang Tao, this is what we should do. Let me introduce you, this is Comrade Li Tieniu."

"Hello, Comrade Li Tieniu."

"Hello, Commander Li, and Political Commissar Zhang."

Zhang Tao replied, "Comrade Li Tieniu, hello too. Comrade Ziyin, you've been working in Jiezhou for so long, you must be very familiar with this. I hope you'll give us your support in our future work."

"Comrades should support each other." "Report, there is a telegram from the Party Central Committee."

Ma Hongbin took the telegram, took a look at it, and his face changed instantly, but he quickly recovered.

Although Ma Hongbin had long anticipated the PLA's covetousness in Gansu, he had no choice but to accept the PLA's entry into Gansu. Since he wasn't a Party member, while he could hold a position in the army, his ceiling was obvious, and he couldn't do whatever he wanted. With so many troops pouring in, he probably wouldn't be able to make decisions within the army in Jizhou. So, after the uprising, he immediately sent a telegram asking the PLA to enter, allowing him to seize the initiative. Unexpectedly, the Party Central Committee's order was issued directly upon Li Fugui's arrival, demonstrating exceptional efficiency.

Ma Hongbin was not vague and read out directly in front of everyone: "After the liberation of Gansu, military control committees were temporarily established in various places to organize the masses to support the front, restore production, eliminate the Manchu Qing forces, and establish a people's government. After research and decision, Jiezhou was renamed Longnan City, and the Longnan Municipal People's Government was established. The members of the temporary municipal committee are: Chairman: Zhang Tao. Vice Chairmen: Ma Hongbin, Li Fugui, Li Tieniu..."

Basically, none of the leaders of the uprising were left behind, and they were directly asked to form a people's government on the spot. Upon hearing the order, Li Fugui stood at attention and said: "I will obey the order resolutely."

With Li Fugui's statement, all the comrades whose names were called also expressed their willingness to obey orders. Here, Li Fugui also noticed the comrades who had been sent to work in Gansu before, but he just nodded at them and didn't say anything here. The next issue was the reorganization of the troops, which was the biggest issue at the moment.

"Comrade Ziyin, please take us to the troop training area." "Okay, this way."

As he walked, Li Fugui observed the rebel army led by Ma Hongbin. This army had only about 3,000 people in total, and its strength was only average. But this time, when he entered Gansu, he needed their cooperation. After walking for a while, Li Fugui stopped. Then, pointing to a unit that was training, he said with a smile, "Whose army is this?"

This was a well-trained unit that had clearly fought in battles. That's why Li Fugui stopped and asked who these troops were. He could sense the fierceness of this unit, but the army lacked guns; they trained with wooden clubs.

Ma Hongbin answered straightforwardly: "We are from the People's Liberation Army." "Is this a regiment?"

""right."

"Where are the regimental commander and the political commissar?"

"Haha, Comrade Li Tieniu is the regimental commander, and the political commissar is not in the barracks now." "Haha, you don't recognize the real one."

Hearing the news of the army's political commissar, Li Fugui breathed a sigh of relief. This was the best news he had ever heard. It seemed the central government had already made arrangements, and the reorganization and merger of the army would not cause any major problems.

"Captain Li Tieniu, what does the army need now?"

Li Tieniu didn't even look at Ma Hongbin and replied directly: "Our troops here are seriously short of weapons."

"Lack of weapons?"

Li Fugui looked at Ma Hongbin.

Ma Hongbin smiled bitterly and said, "Gansu isn't wealthy, and the troops have always been short of weapons. Even the newly reorganized Gansu troops we annihilated lacked weapons. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to capture Longnan. This time, the weapons we captured from the Qing Dynasty simply aren't enough to expand the army."

Li Fugui nodded.

The rebels here are not the regular People's Liberation Army. The People's Liberation Army has an arsenal, and Zhang Feng has also established a weapons repair shop in Shaanxi, which is actually a small arsenal. It has no problem repairing simple firearms, and can also make bombs and grenades.

However, the People's Liberation Army in Shaanxi also felt the shortage of arms after the expansion, and Sichuan had almost never stopped mobilizing weapons to Shaanxi. If this was the case in Shaanxi, Gansu must be even more short of arms. The large number of weapons seized from the Beiyang government before was just an emergency measure.

"We've brought a batch of arms, which will be distributed shortly. So, call all the relevant personnel and have a meeting! Let's discuss issues like troop reorganization, land reform, tax reduction, and the abolition of the likin tax."

"it is good."

"..."

Chapter 355:

While Li Fugui and Zhang Tao were busy reorganizing and merging the Longnan uprising forces, Zhang Feng was meeting with Ma Hongbin's uncles, Ma Fuxiang and Ma Fushou. The People's Liberation Army was cautious with captured Qing officials, typically screening them and then immediately putting them in cold storage. However, the Northwest needed someone of note to appease the people, and Ma Fuxiang's family was a good choice.

The Forward Party needed a stable Gansu environment. Party members and cadres needed considerable time to familiarize themselves with the region's realities. A single misstep could potentially lead to years of chaos. Gansu's importance hinged on the stability of Xinjiang and the Mongolian border, and chaos was essential. Furthermore, centuries of internecine hostilities in the northwest had intensified ethnic tensions. Understanding Gansu's history, the Forward Party understood that maintaining stability in Gansu depended on stabilizing both the Han and Hui ethnic groups. Therefore, individuals like Ma Fuxiang were worth winning over, otherwise Zhang Yinghao's plans would be rendered useless.

Ma Fuxiang also had a potential relative, Ma Jinxiang, whose daughter was already engaged to Ma Hongkui. Ma Jinxiang had served in southern China for many years, including as governor of Guangxi and Guangdong. He was currently the governor of Ganzhou, officially known as "Ganzhou Governor-General of Military Affairs." This was the Qing Dynasty military commander for western Gansu, subordinate to the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu. This was equivalent to a provincial military commander, holding the rank of first rank. If Ma Fuxiang's family chose to serve the new government, it would also facilitate Ma Jinxiang's work.

In reality, Ma Hongbin had already done a lot of research on Ma Fuxiang's decision to join the Forward Party, and he had given it a lot of thought. It was precisely because of Ma Hongbin that Ma Fuxiang took the initiative to step forward when Song Fan requested someone to defend Qinzhou against the Shaanxi Red Bandits. This was also the result of careful consideration. He wanted to see how strong the Red Bandits were and whether the Forward Party's style of operation could succeed. Unexpectedly, he was captured without any hesitation.

"General Ma, Ma Zhonglie's brother, your family is full of loyal heroes! I've heard before about Ma Zhonglie's deeds following General Dong Fuxiang in the fight against the Eight-Nation Alliance. Mr. Ma Fulu died for his country, which is a heroic act and brings glory to the nation. Although we and the Qing Dynasty are enemies and have different positions, Ma Zhonglie is still a hero in the fight against aggression and a national hero. I really wish I could go to the battlefield myself and defend our country with Ma Zhonglie. Besides, a tiger father will have a dog son. Ma Hongbin is an excellent comrade, and your son Ma Hongkui is also a handsome man!"

Ma Fulu's battle at Langfang, hailed as the "first fiercest battle of the Boxer Rebellion," routed two thousand British troops. Later, during the defense of Beijing, the invading army concentrated its artillery fire on the city walls, and Dongbianmen, Dongzhimen, and Chaoyangmen successively fell. He remained steadfast in his fight. The enemy's concentrated artillery fire reduced the four-story watchtower to two, resulting in numerous casualties. His troops, many of them from the Hehuang region, also lost their lives in this battle, including his cousins ​​Fuheng, Fuxuan, and Fugui, his nephews Yuetu and Zhaotu, and over 100 other relatives who had served in the army. Ma Fuxiang also participated in this battle, though he narrowly escaped death. Zhang Feng deeply admired and respected these generals who bravely resisted the invasion.

"You're too kind, too kind. We were just doing our duty. As my eldest brother said: things are broken, there's no way to salvage them. All we can do is obey the imperial order and protect the country with our lives. And the two children are both naughty brats, so don't praise them."

Although Ma Fuxiang said this, he was actually very happy in his heart. Even these revolutionaries knew about his family's fight against the Eight-Nation Alliance in the capital. And he heard that his nephew was now not much lower in rank than his uncle.

"It's your attitude that allows you to fear no life or death and serve your country and your people. Even our Forward Party Chairman, Comrade Zhang Yinghao, admires you greatly. Whenever I hear about your Ma family's struggle against the Eight-Nation Alliance, my blood boils. What a pity! Alas~"

"Why are you sighing?"

"What a shame! The Qing Dynasty was able to survive and continue to exist thanks to loyal and fearless officials like you. However, the Qing Dynasty was corrupt and incompetent, and ultimately failed you heroes who fought so hard. Ultimately, it failed to prevent the Eight-Nation Alliance from entering the capital, and was ultimately forced to sign a humiliating treaty. The indemnity alone was 450 million taels of silver! The Qing Dynasty was completely transformed into a foreign court."

After hearing what Zhang Feng said, the two brothers of the Ma family immediately fell silent. This was indeed the case. Those who died in the battle basically died in vain.

"General Ma, I think Comrade Ma Hongbin has already told you a lot about the policies of our Forward Party. You should also be aware of the principles and policies we implement in Shaanxi. I don't want to talk about those things again today. We just want to ask General Ma, what do you think of the Qing Dynasty?"

Ma Fuxiang was very surprised when he heard Zhang Feng's words. He originally thought that Shaanxi

Seeing that they were just like the Qing court, the Red Bandit leader started to play the game of granting official titles and making wishes! Now when Zhang Feng asked him this question, he was stunned.

The Fuxiang family started out as a militia, so they naturally had their own opinions about the Qing court. When Zhang Feng asked this question, they vaguely knew what it meant.

However, as a soldier, he had just mentioned that he ultimately failed, so he said dejectedly: "What do I think of the Qing court?"

"Yes, you started out as militia, so naturally you have your own opinions about the Qing Dynasty."

A soldier being a soldier, he asked directly: "Is this how you persuade people to surrender?"

Ma Fuxiang was also a man who had seen the world. He had fought alongside Dong Fuxiang in many battles, garrisoned at Shanhaiguan, and later defended the capital. He had fought the Eight-Nation Alliance with real weapons, and then escorted Empress Dowager Cixi to Xi'an with the remaining troops. He had seen all sorts of important figures. From the moment his nephew came to see him, he knew why the People's Liberation Army was looking for him, and what the Qing Dynasty was like. As a captive and a former official, he naturally didn't know what to say, so he directly stated the ultimate purpose of the conversation, just to see how the bandit leader would respond.

Zhang Feng smiled after hearing this rhetorical question and said, "We in the Forward Party have never done things like granting official positions or making promises. One of our philosophies is that if we lean on the mountain, the mountain will fall, and if we lean on the river, the river will dry up. We welcome those who are willing to stand with us in the revolution. We also welcome those who are unwilling to revolutionize but are willing to build the country with us. As long as they don't want to join us, as long as they don't make trouble, or even scold us, and as long as they don't affect our construction of the country, we will allow them to exist. So whether to revolt or not, or to surrender or not, is your own decision, General Ma. People like General Ma's family who have experienced life and death, since they dared to fight the Eight-Nation Alliance, are naturally not the kind of people who change their minds after a few words. I asked General Ma what you think of the Qing Dynasty, just to see if you can ask General Ma to do something meaningful for the Northwest or China."

After hearing Zhang Feng's words, Ma Fuxiang and his family felt respected, but Ma Fushou said directly: "In the Qing Dynasty, those who succeed are kings and princes, and those who fail are bandits. This is our view of the Qing Dynasty."

Zhang Feng laughed at this. Is this the thinking of soldiers in this era? The saying "victors are kings, losers are bandits" is absolutely true. The Ma Fuxiang family, after defeating Zuo Zongtang, immediately chose to join the Qing army, earning them official positions and their current status, becoming regular soldiers of the Manchus. Naturally, they felt this most deeply. Zhang Feng still remembered Zhang Yinghao's words that the Manchus' conquest of the Central Plains was the result of a combination of internal and external troubles within the Ming Dynasty, a confluence of coincidences. It wasn't because the Manchus were so powerful, but rather because the times were short of heroes, allowing the rise of young men. Every great unified dynasty faced invasions from the north at the end or beginning of its history. The Xiongnu during the Qin and Han dynasties, the Turks during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and so on. Ultimately, the Central Plains dynasty initially withstood the humiliation and ultimately triumphed over the northern peoples. Throughout history, there have been countless northern invasions, but only two or three resulted in national unification. Perhaps the Yuan Dynasty was merely a preview of foreign rule over the Central Plains. The Manchus, learning from the lessons of the Yuan Dynasty's demise, were able to maintain their rule over the Central Plains for over two hundred years.

"Does Ma believe that the winner has the final say? Our Progress Party Chairman Zhang Yinghao once said: The winner should not be condemned, and history cannot condemn the winner. This statement is exactly the same as the saying that the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit."

"The victors should not be blamed, and history cannot blame the victors..."

After hearing these words, Ma Fushou and the others pondered them carefully and found that they had a unique feeling.

Zhang Feng did not give Ma Fuxiang and the others time to think carefully, and asked directly: "General Ma, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. So what determines success and failure? General Ma Biao, our chairman talked about the issue of chance and necessity when he gave us a lecture. The chairman said that most people tend to think that chance is the most important factor in achieving success. For example, when marching and fighting, if an army is defeated, it always has countless excuses to think that it should have been able to avoid defeat. Just like when you were fighting the Eight-Nation Alliance, I think you should have reflected on it now and feel that if you change your tactics in many places, you may be able to defeat the foreigners. Even if you cannot defeat them, you will not suffer such heavy losses..."

When they heard Zhang Feng mention defeat, they thought he was referring to their captives, and their faces darkened. However, after hearing Zhang Feng's account of the Eight-Nation Alliance, Ma Fuxiang and Ma Fushou, who had participated in the battle, nodded in agreement. Indeed, as Zhang Feng had said, looking back on the battle against the Eight-Nation Alliance, they saw many areas that could have been improved. Even in some areas, with just a few minor changes, they might have been able to turn the tide of the battle. Sometimes, thinking of those who had died in battle, especially their own brother, they slapped their thighs in regret.

Ma Fuxiang knew that in any era of history, when dynasties were about to fall, some people surrendered voluntarily, some rebelled, and some surrendered passively. His nephew wanted him to rebel, and now that he was a prisoner, the People's Liberation Army naturally wanted him to surrender. If the People's Liberation Army was not united with someone like Ma Fuxiang who could use his own food to support the Han and Tibetan people, who usually promoted harmony among the ethnic groups and liked to be close to the Han upper class, then the Forward Party would be nothing but a facade. Ma Fuxiang knew that this bandit leader was trying to persuade them to surrender, but this was the first time he had heard of such persuasion through reasoning.

"So, why look for reasons for defeat? Why were the losses so heavy? There are countless excuses like this, thousands and thousands of them. Our Chairman said that the changes in things are determined by internal factors. Everything we do should be to minimize mistakes and become invincible, not to find excuses. Sun Tzu's Art of War says: 'The key to being invincible lies in oneself; the key to being victorious lies in the enemy.' This is exactly what it means. Is this principle understandable and acceptable? I wonder if General Ma agrees with this statement?"

Ma Fuxiang personally experienced the battle against the Eight-Nation Alliance. Since they were defeated, there must be a reason, but if you really want to find the reason, then there will naturally be many excuses. And they did try every possible means to win, but they just couldn't be invincible.

"That's true. If you can achieve invincibility, you won't be afraid of foreign armies."

Zhang Feng knew that there would be no problem in discussing marching and fighting with feudal-era soldiers like Ma Fuxiang. After all, the army was the most disciplined organization at any time, and people like Ma Fuxiang, who had fought in battles for a long time, were the easiest to communicate with in this regard.

"Mr. Ma, you know that our Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army have only been established for a few years. I don't think I'm very good at fighting. The principles of fighting were taught to us by our Chairman, so I can only talk to you based on what I heard in class."

"Be humble. If you couldn't fight, we wouldn't be your prisoners."

Ma Fuxiang, through his nephew Ma Hongbin, had learned that these PLA soldiers were keen on running schools. They taught foreigners, not the Four Books and Five Classics, but at least they were sending children to school and teaching the people to read. This was why Ma Fuxiang felt these bandits were different, and it was something he reluctantly accepted. As for land reform, his Ma family, as major landowners, naturally opposed it. However, as a family that could see clearly the current situation, held military power, and was still on the rise, giving up land was not something they could not accept.

Zhang Feng said frankly: "Our ability to defeat you is a matter of inevitability and contingency. When our Chairman taught us The Art of War, he said that we shouldn't pursue any upper limit, but must determine the bottom line. Just like when we fire artillery, no matter how accurate your artillery fire is, the prerequisite is that you can't let the shells fall on your own position and explode your own people. Our grenades have an effective killing range of ten meters, so we must throw them at least fifteen meters away. This is the bottom line.

Sun Tzu's Art of War states that victory can be known but not achieved. Therefore, the key is to first be invincible, waiting for the enemy to be defeated. How can one be invincible? It means knowing oneself and the enemy, and fighting a hundred battles without danger. This requires acting according to the laws of warfare at the time, making as few mistakes as possible. If one has no weaknesses, then wait for the enemy to show one, and then launch a fatal attack...

Chapter 356:

Ma Fuxiang and Ma Fushou listened intently to Zhang Feng's explanation. Unconsciously, much of what they had heard suddenly dawned on them. As veteran Hui officers who had risen through the ranks by founding a militia and had never attended military academy, they had never heard such a refined description of leading troops in battle. Previously, they had relied on their own learning and exploration.

He couldn't help but interrupt Zhang Feng: "Your chairman actually taught you these things? Aren't you afraid that the enemy will also learn this knowledge?"

Zhang Feng didn't know why Ma Fuxiang and the others had such expressions. After all, he had been hearing these things since the beginning of the class. So Zhang Feng didn't think there was anything wrong. However, Zhang Feng had no idea that the methods of the old-style officers in leading troops in battle were all secrets that were not passed on, and were treated as heirlooms, inherited by the family. How could he, Ma Fuxiang, have the qualifications to learn such knowledge? But no matter why Ma Fuxiang acted like this, Zhang Feng said politely: "This is what our chairman taught in the training class. It is what all of us in the People's Liberation Army must learn. As for the enemy being able to learn these things, haha, if you want to implement these things, you must first have a political stance. Without a correct political stance, you cannot train our army."

Ma Fuxiang fell silent, regardless of whether Zhang Feng's words were arrogant or not. If every member of the PLA could learn the contents of "The Art of War" and fully understand them, then how could the Qing Dynasty win? The true meaning of "The Art of War" is not something that anyone can grasp. However, if someone can learn its true meaning without understanding it, that is also a shocking thing.

Zhang Feng glanced at Ma Fuxiang and continued, "When doing things, mistakes are bound to happen. Confucius said, 'Never make the same mistake twice.' This means that after making a mistake, don't try to cover it up. Instead, find out why you made the mistake and try not to make the same mistake twice. But if you keep failing no matter how hard you try, then there can only be three reasons."

The first is your own fault, meaning you really don't want to do this and don't put your heart into it. The second is that this is simply not the right thing for you or you simply can't do it. The third is that this thing is inherently wrong, impossible to succeed, and going against the grain. No matter how hard you try, if you go against the laws of nature, you're bound to fail."

As soon as these words were spoken, Ma Fuxiang and the others' expressions changed instantly. They immediately thought of their repeated defeats in the capital, and also of the fact that the Qing Dynasty had been repeatedly defeated. Their eyes immediately fixed on Zhang Feng, the shock in their eyes no longer concealed. Ma Fuxiang immediately stood up and paced back and forth in Zhang Feng's reception room, no one knew what he was thinking.

From this perspective, if we say that we and the Qing Dynasty were defeated by chance, that is impossible. We know our own business, and our troops are indeed inferior to those foreign devils. If we want to find reasons, there are countless reasons, such as inferior weapons, lack of money, insufficient training, and incompetent friendly forces.

But thinking back, I did try my best at the time. I had no other choice. I used the best method at the time, but it still ended in failure.

If we understand it from the perspective that Zhang Feng said, then either he is not suitable for leading troops to fight. Ma Fuxiang immediately rejected this idea. He has been leading troops to fight since he was a child. If he is not suitable for leading troops, then who else is suitable? Then he cannot do the task of fighting against the Eight-Nation Alliance. That is impossible. He has killed more than one or two foreign devils.

Then there is only one reason: the whole thing was doomed to fail. In other words, whether they resisted or not, or who in the Qing Dynasty resisted, failure was inevitable, and it was not affected by human factors.

Zhang Feng quietly watched Ma Fuxiang, who seemed bewildered, even out of control. Seeing the muscles on his face twisted and his teeth gnashing, Zhang Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Ma Fuxiang, on the other hand, felt a surge of rage and shame. Anyone who knew he was on a path to failure, and that this was the path that had cost him his brothers and hundreds of members of his Ma family, naturally felt a surge of unprecedented shame and indignation.

Perhaps because he was too angry, something suddenly occurred to him. Slowly, Ma Fuxiang calmed down and said in a normal tone: "Mr. Zhang is very eloquent. I admire you."

Zhang Feng simply shook his head and said, "General Ma, it's not that I'm eloquent or can't explain myself clearly. I'm just making sense. You also know that a few years ago, there was a severe drought in our northwest, and many people exchanged their children for food. The Qing court was unable to solve these problems, so we will solve them. The key to victory lies in ourselves, and the key to victory lies in the enemy. So no matter what the Qing court does, we only do what we think needs to be done. Whenever our Forward Party arrives in a place, we distribute land so that all the people have land to farm, and then we build water conservancy projects to ensure that all the people have food to eat. We promote education so that everyone understands the truth. In this way, all the people in the world will stand with us, and the Qing Dynasty will naturally perish. If the Qing Dynasty wants to destroy us, the people will naturally fight the Qing Dynasty to the death, so we will only become stronger and stronger. Our final victory has actually been predetermined long ago, and it will not change because our opponent is led by you or any other person. We, the Forward Party, our People's Liberation Army, are the ones who stand with the poor people. So, Mr. Ma Fuxiang, Mr. Ma Fushou, who are you standing with?"