Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Recognizing the Enemy as a Friend

Wu Peifu secretly informed the Hunan Army and set off from Hengyang, full of anger.He decided to reprimand Zhang Xueyan once he arrived in Xiangtan, then remove his brigade commander and find a suitable replacement.At this time, it is the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the water of the Xiangjiang River is gradually drying up, and the mountains of Nanyue are especially green, where there is a small spring atmosphere.Looking at the neat and orderly army, Wu Peifu smiled triumphantly: "I, Wu Ziyu, will become the king of Nanyue!" The Northern Army went south to attack the French Guardian Army entering Hunan. President Feng Guozhang and Prime Minister Duan Qirui decided that Cao Kun would be the commander-in-chief, and Zhang Jingyao would be the deputy commander-in-chief and commander of the second route. They would lead the Seventh Division to attack Pingjiang, Hunan from Tongcheng in southern Hunan. , pointing to Changsha; the commander of the third route was Zhang Huaizhi, who led the fifth division to attack Liling in southern Hunan from Pingxiang, Jiangxi, and encircled Changsha; Xiangfan, Hubei, attacked Yueyang, Hunan via Jingzhou and Jianli, and joined forces with the second and third routes in Changsha.Wu Peifu marched smoothly, and joined forces with Zhang Jingyao in Changsha as scheduled. Although the commander-in-chief of the Hunan-Guangdong-Guangxi Allied Forces, Hunan Governor and Chief Tan Haoming told the Hunan people "don't panic", he still fled to Guilin.

The Beijing government was naturally very happy when they received the news of the victory in attacking Hunan, and hastily sent a telegram to Cao Kun. One was to order Wu Peifu to lead his troops to continue to pursue the Hunan army and attack Guangdong and Guangxi; the other was to appoint Zhang Jingyao, who was pro-Anhui, as the governor of Hunan And Governor.This decision is obviously unfair. The attack on Xiangtou belongs to Wu Peifu, and he should be the military governor.But Cao still asked Wu to "follow the execution" and ordered Wu to continue to go south to occupy Hengshan and Hengyang.After Hengyang was taken down, Wu Peifu stood still.At this time, it was precisely because of the unfair rewards and punishments that Wu Peifu was restless and restless, and he had not long marched in the army. Wu Peifu thought about it calmly and felt that he had made a big fuss: Isn't Zhang Xueyan a brigade commander? There is no need to go there in person to inquire about crimes; this attack on Hunan was Wu Peifu's first achievement. Didn't Zhang Jingyao's troops advance on the flat road opened by Wu Peifu? How did he become the governor and governor of Hunan? Wu Peifu believed that Duan Qirui was cultivating cronies and expanding his influence! The heart of resentment against Zhang Xueyan was transferred to hatred of Zhang Jingyao. "I won't give him a good life!"

After Wu Peifu's official position gradually increased, his personality gradually became stubborn. Even if he made a wrong decision, he never wanted to change it.Knowing that Zhang Xueyan is not a big deal, it would be over if he returned to Hengyang.He didn't, "Zhang Xueyan must be held accountable, and he must establish military discipline." When Wu Peifu arrived in Xiangtan, when he saw that Zhang Xueyan was not ill, he calmed down and became angry again: "Disobeying the military order, falsifying!" Before he could sit down, he said with a livid face: "Brigade Commander Zhang, after you arrived in Xiangtan, you hurriedly A notice was issued to calm the people, yes?"

"Yes," Zhang Xueyan answered directly. "Don't you think it's wrong?" "There's nothing wrong with it." "The Southward Army has a command headquarters, and the Route Army has a headquarters. What about the name of the trip?" "You are the acting division commander, if you don't show up, I am the official brigade commander, why can't I issue a notice to comfort the people?" "You violate discipline, you violate orders" "Leave it to you." In a rage, Wu Peifu immediately turned back.When he returned to Hengyang, he sent an urgent telegram to Cao Kun, saying, "Zhang Xueyan didn't listen to the dispatch, and he missed the military plane."

Cao Kun knew that Wu and Zhang were not in harmony, and Zhang Jingyao's appointment as the governor and governor of Hunan brought Wu Peifu unhappiness. When he was using troops, Cao had no choice but to give up Zhang and stay in Wu.Then an urgent telegram was sent, "Transfer Zhang Xueyan to Hankou for another appointment", and Wu Peifu was changed from acting teacher to acting teacher. Zhang Xueyan left Xiangtan, Wu Peifu recommended his confidant Dong Zhengguo to be promoted, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.After two days of calm, he planned a duel strategy with Zhang Jingyao——Zhang Jingyao (1880-1933), courtesy name Xunchen, from Huoqiu, Anhui Province, graduated from Baoding Military Academy, and was one of the backbone of the Anhui warlords.He once served as the division commander of the Seventh Beiyang Division and the supervisor of bandit suppression on the border of the four provinces of Su, Shandong, Henan and Anhui.Before attacking Hunan, he was the commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's suppression of bandits.Duan Qirui recommended him as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Southward Army, and he also wanted to give him a chance to thrive.This man is a well-known man who loves officials and money, and Wu Peifu looks down on him.However, now that this person holds all the military and political power in his hands, and Wu is in the territory controlled by him, the contradictions are getting bigger and clearer.

Wu Peifu was sitting in his own courtyard in Hengyang, thinking hard about how to deal with Zhang Jingyao, when someone came to report: "There is a man dressed as a gentleman outside the door asking to see him."Wu Peifu thought: "I came to Heng not long ago, and I haven't had any close contact with the squires. Who came to the door?" Immediately passed: "Please!" The visitor was about forty years old, slender, tall, fair-skinned, with a long gown and top hat, and a small bamboo box in his hand. When he saw Wu Peifu, he took off his hat and bowed, and then said: "The general is always good!"

Wu Peifu saw that the visitor was very strange, and while giving up his seat, he said, "Welcome, sir, to come and teach me!" The visitor nodded and sat down, put the bamboo box on the table in front of him, gently opened it, and took out a letter.Then he said: "The master of the family ordered me to come to visit the general and welcome the general to Linxiang." Wu Peifu took the letter, opened it, and first looked at the signature to see who the owner was. After seeing it, he was surprised: "Zhao Hengti?" It turned out to be a representative sent by the leader of the Hunan Army.He didn't read the content, so he put the letter down first, wanted to say something, but didn't speak, and went to serve the teacup on purpose.

But the guest said straight to the point: "The master greets the general and expresses his condolences to the general who has been traveling south. The master also said that President Feng advocated the peaceful reunification of China when he took office, which was highly praised by the people of the country. The President called for a peace call, but the situation went against the President's wishes. The general is a wise man in the Northern Army, and the owner of the family knew that he must have his own opinions, so he was sent to the next line." Wu Peifu thought for a moment, then smiled. "Whether it is war or peace, it all depends on the center. Zi Yuyong is a warrior, how can he have the ability to control the situation. Please tell your master, I will seriously consider his good intentions."

"Thank you very much." With that, the guest left in a hurry. After the visitor left, Wu Peifu read Zhao Hengti's letter carefully.In the letter, it was nothing more than talking about the trend of the world and what the people wanted, explaining the corruption of the Qing court and the disputes between various factions, which finally fell to Feng Zhi and Wan Duan's seemingly incompatible side, thinking that going south to use troops was against the president's wishes, "General Wu supervised the army to enter Hunan, and the situation was like a broken bamboo. The reason was that the people of Hunan were tired of the war and admired the general's reputation. They originally received the general in a peaceful way. General Ziyu, who didn't want to enter Hunan to take the lead, was not rewarded by the government." , and Zhang Jingyao, who followed the general, competed for the military and political power of Hunan. In order to control the overall situation, the Hunan War should also be stopped immediately, and the two armies should keep their original positions and not invade each other. When the overall situation changes in the future, we can discuss it again" and other words.

When Wu Peifu read the letter, his heart felt hot. Although the wording in the letter was not without violence, the fact it referred to was true: the world war was raging everywhere.China has also declared war on Germany and Austria, and the situation is extremely urgent; moreover, the "Xin Chou Treaty" has harmed the country, and the people of the country are no longer able to fight among themselves and fight each other.What Zhao Hengti said about Feng and Duan's appearances being in harmony with each other hit the nail on the head. Wu Peifu should have been the warlord of Hunan but not.He lay on the recliner made of Xiangzhu with his eyes closed and pondered for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Zhao Hengti's opinion was reasonable. "I want to create a special situation in Hunan, and create a model for the president's North-South peace talks!" He stood up, hurried to the table, unfolded the four treasures of the study, and wrote a reply letter to Zhao Hengti. After growing up, the government still had to rely on military orders, and the military power was in the hands of Wu Peifu, but Wu Peifu did not cooperate with him.The military governor and the governor became Hunan's lone family. Military orders and government orders could not be implemented, and the hostile forces in the territory - the Hunan Army could not be eliminated. Hunan became a tripartite confrontation in an instant, and the troikas pulled each other.Zhang Jingyao came to Hunan to develop and strengthen himself. Since military orders and government orders are restricting him, let's make money.Therefore, in the name of the governor, Yuxiang Bank was opened in Hunan, and banknotes were issued indiscriminately, cash was searched, and exorbitant taxes were imposed, and the "benefiting people" lottery was distributed.For a time, the people in Hunan were destitute and miserable.The officers and soldiers of Zhang Jingyao's 7th Division saw that the commander was raiding in this way, and their military discipline was abolished. They robbed and harassed the people everywhere, and their behavior was even worse than that of bandits.

Wu Peifu is a shrewd person, and with the secret support of the Hunan Army, Wu Peifu knows Zhang Jingyao's actions like the palm of his hand, and he is very happy.He thought: "You, Zhang Jingyao, be king in Hunan. One day, the Hunan people will overthrow you." Wu Peifu entertained gentlemen and celebrities every day in Hengyang, and exchanged "envoys" with the Hunan army; Duan Qirui asked him to continue the southern expedition. He didn't even look at the telegram; besides the banquet, he was paid for poetry and silk bamboo.All of a sudden, Hengyang, the southern country, was singing and dancing! Wu Peifu wants to buy the hearts of Hunan people. He wants to make sure that as many Hunan people scold Zhang Jingyao, as many Hunan people praise Wu Peifu! He sponsored schools in Hengyang and helped the poor. He is happy to do anything that is beneficial to social causes! The military discipline of the army is particularly strict, and all soldiers who harass the Hunan people will be severely punished. One day, Wu Peifu was having a banquet for gentlemen in Hengyang. His subordinates brought in three disheveled soldiers and said, "The officers and soldiers of a certain unit of the Seventh Division were arrested for robbery in the Hengdong and Youxian areas." Wu Peifu asked "how to deal with it?" "Wu Peifu walked out of the banquet, asked the three people a few words, then came back and said to the gentlemen present: "Everyone, I have found out that these three people are indeed subordinates of the Seventh Division Governor Zhang Jingyao, and they also truthfully admitted the robbery. They are all scum in the army! It’s just that they are all subordinates of Governor Zhang. They are harassing the Xiang people. Hand it over to the public?" The Hunan people hated Zhang Jingyao and his army for a long time, and wished to drive them all out of Hunan. How could they allow these three people to be sent back.Then he said loudly: "They acted under the orders of Zhang Jingyao. We will only accept rewards if we send them back. We will not agree! The Fa should be executed on the spot!" This was what Wu Peifu expected.He raised his voice and said: "I accept the opinions of gentlemen. Punishment of corruption is the consistent proposition of the President. When our army went south, the President repeatedly urged that wherever we go, the people must be treated like parents. Anyone who harms the people will be dealt with immediately on the spot. From now on, any soldier or general in our department who acts harmful to the people must be exposed, and Yuyu will never forgive him. Today, I will first obey the wishes of the people, and second, act on behalf of the president Order to execute these three scumbags immediately, in order to thank Xiangmin!" With an order, three heads fell to the ground.In one fell swoop, firecrackers blared in the streets and alleys of Hengyang, and the sound of praise spread, and Wu Peifu became the savior of Hunan people in an instant. Wu Peifu has an ambiguous relationship with Zhao Hengti, but also intends to achieve peaceful reunification and help each other in the same boat. He also feels that his territory is in the north. No matter how good Hunan is, it is not a place to live for a long time, so he decides to return to the north.However, after the soldiers withdrew from Hengyang, who would Hengyang return to? He made a thought.Ordinarily, Wu Peifu and Zhang Jingyao both marched south under the orders of a master, and the land occupied by Wu Zong should be handed over to the governor and governor Zhang Jingyao.However, he shook his head. "I can't hand it over to him. Hunan is my Wu Ziyu's world. If it is handed over to Zhang Jingyao, even the common people will scold me." Zhao Hengti feels that his name is not right and his words are not right, and he is afraid of being questioned in the future.He thought about it, but couldn't make up his mind.In those few days, he felt uneasy sleeping and eating. He closed the door every day, thinking hard, and sometimes opened it to see the joys, sorrows, joys, sorrows and joys of the ancients when they used soldiers, and their advances and retreats. Although Wu Peifu is used to the advance and retreat of the military camp, he does not want people to criticize him as an "army hero". In order to form a moral team, you must send out volunteers.He often lectured on "Mencius", "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "University" to his subordinates.He is familiar with "Sun Tzu's Art of War". However, he always makes various criticisms of those treacherous and tricky articles, and repeatedly states that "never do anything unless you have to!" In personal communication, Wu Peifu also insists on "faithfulness".Before going south this time, when Cao Kun was about to appoint him as the commander of the third division and the commander of the first road, someone informed Feng Guozhang that Wu Peifu was "a scholar who can only make friends with cliques and can't be a big one."Feng Guozhang only smiled lightly, and said to Cao Kun: "Ziyu's strategy is superhuman, so there should be no doubt about its use." Cao Kun was appointed as scheduled and told Wu Peifu the president's wishes.Wu was grateful and determined to follow Feng to the end.Therefore, when raising troops, he was determined to use the conditions to implement the president's will for peaceful reunification. After much deliberation, he decided to give Hengyang to Zhao Hengti, so as to leave a way for the President to advocate peace in the future - but he didn't know that this led to the gradual split between the Zhiwan and Anhui families, and even a big war.This is something. Wu Peifu informed Zhao Hengti of his ideas, Zhao Hengti was very grateful and wished to "cooperate more in the future".Now there is only one thing left, which is to withdraw troops to the north in what name? Zhang Jingyao is very lack of self-knowledge: officials are obsessed with money, and money is obsessed with it.Hunan has already been blown three feet high by him, and suddenly he is celebrating his fortieth birthday.In fact, he is only thirty-eight years old this year.The warlord is also the governor, who would dare not give a birthday present on his birthday.All of a sudden, Sanxiang was in a mess because of the gift-giving competition. When the news reached Hengyang, Wu Peifu was surprised at first, and then overjoyed: "Okay, I want to celebrate Zhang Jingyao's birthday!" On the outskirts of Hengyang, in a secret and secluded small house, Wu Peifu and Zhao Hengti met—this was a very unique meeting, no one brought assistants, except for a group of security officers and soldiers in the distance, even the tea was already served in the house Ready for self-use.Wu Peifu and Zhao Hengti both wore casual clothes, and their conversations were straight to the point. "I want to see the general off, but it's too hasty." Zhao Hengti said, "It's too late to even express my heart to the brothers." "Hunan is already poor enough," Wu Peifu said, "I can't bear to accept your generous gift again!" "Hunan people will be grateful to the general!" "Let's get down to business, I'm leaving." Wu Peifu said, "I want to go from south to north, every step of the way." "I will lead the army from south to north, and see you off every step of the way!" "It's not too late." "Hunan will always be the general's position!" "When my reserve troops leave Hengyang, I will send a telegram to Zhang Jingyao to congratulate Zhang Jingyao on his birthday." Wu Peifu said: "I think that I will lead the team northward this time, which will definitely arouse Zhang Jingyao's vigilance. He will take measures. General, please do well." defense." Zhao Hengti thanked them repeatedly, and then the two agreed on a specific time to withdraw and pick up, and then they broke up and left. Sure enough, when Wu Peifu's base camp was about to withdraw from Hengyang, he sent Zhang Jingyao a telegram like this: Today I heard that the commander-in-chief Qianqiu led all the officers and soldiers to Changsha to celebrate his birthday. When Zhang Jingyao received this telegram, he was stunned and paralyzed on the chair. It is obvious that he was driven out of Hunan. Zhang Jingyao immediately sent a rescue telegram to Duan Qirui, asking the Beijing government to "handle it quickly."Although Duan Qirui knew the situation in Hunan, he was beyond his reach; now that the situation was critical, he couldn't think of a good plan for a while, so he had to write a blank check on the one hand, saying "send the Wu Guangxin Department in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to help", and on the other hand, he asked Zhang Jingyao to "speed up" Send troops to take over the areas occupied by Wu's troops." Zhang Jingyao had no choice but to take a move that he could take first, ordering Wu Xintian's brigade to "set off soon to defend Hengyang", and Zhang Jingtang's brigade to "be a reserve force".Although the order was issued, it was difficult to carry out: the piece of land Wu Jun withdrew had long been taken over by Zhao Hengti, and Zhao sent heavy troops to block Wu Xintian's brigade between Hengshan and Xiangtan, making it difficult for him to move; In Xiangtan, Zhang Lu became a dead chess game.Half of the rivers and mountains in Hunan changed their flags in an instant! Wu Xintian's brigade was originally Zhang Jingyao's main force. After entering Hunan, the officers and soldiers made a lot of robbery. Everyone carried a heavy "gold and silver bag", and no one wanted to go to the front line to risk their lives.In addition, Zhang Jingyao gave them a secret mission to monitor the actions of Wu Peifu's department.This Wu brigade had to keep its money, guard against Wu Peifu, and deal with the Hunan army, and was trapped on the way up. Where there was still fighting power, the Hunan army would beat it to pieces as soon as it was dispatched. Seeing that Wu Xintian was defeated, Zhang Jingtang's army was powerless and unwilling to fight, so he ordered Xiangtan to be burned and looted wantonly, and the officers and soldiers dispersed after looting their property. Wu Peifu's "director" this "combining Zhao and forcing Zhang" scene went very smoothly, and all the Wu troops who retreated to the north went north along the Xiangjiang River by boat.Xiangjiang, willows on both sides of the river, cheers on both sides, Wu Jun became the most respected volunteer teacher of the Xiang people.Every time he passed through a town, Wu Peifu would dress in casual clothes and receive local celebrities; then, praises and firecrackers were fired, and the people of the Li people moved to the city, and Wu Peifu became the savior of the Hunan people again! Wu Peifu was very proud. He was sure that both the military and civilians in Hunan had a good impression of him, and Zhang Jingyao would never gain a foothold if he left Hunan. "I'll just see how your Anhui faction dominates Hunan!" When Wu Peifu arrived in Changsha, it was a clear and sunny autumn day. The water on the Xiangjiang River was clear, the mountains at Yuelu were green, and even the sun was so dazzling! Wu Peifu’s team lined up neatly at the bow of the boat, but both sides were full of Zhang Jingyao’s "welcome" army -- Wu Peifu withdrew to the north, Zhang Jingyao was nervous, taking over Wudi was in vain, and his powerful team was defeated step by step.Now that Wu Peifu is approaching the city again, he wants to go on his own. "If Wu Peifu invaded Changsha and seized my full power, how would I deal with it?" People reported, "Wu Jun has already parked at Daximen Wharf"! Zhang Jingyao was paralyzed on the grand master's chair. He felt that someone would order him to "hand over power" soon.He wants to hide, but where can he hide? Wu Xintian has been trapped by the Hunan Army, and Zhang Jingtang's brigade has disappeared; the left-behind troops in Changsha City have already had a lot of money and have no intention of guarding. Who can keep Zhang Jingyao, the governor, and the governor safe? ?He had to go to greet Wu Peifu! Wu Peifu "specially led all the officers and soldiers to Changsha to celebrate his birthday", and Zhang Jingyao is the "birthday star", how could he say nothing? Surrounded by his companions and guarded by bodyguards, Zhang Jingyao left the Governor's Mansion and walked towards Daximen Wharf on foot. Zhang Jingyao has only been in Xiangxiang for more than three months. Although he is still less than four feet tall, his body has gained weight.The upper body is a bit short due to fat, and the arms are also propped up outward; the round head has obviously shrunk and drooped; the cheeks have bulged, and the nose and eyes have become disproportionate.Only the wrinkles on the forehead and between the temples are mostly filled by the newly added fat, filling the face: the dog has a sense of swelling and emptiness.When Zhang Jingyao left for the pier, he thought of casual clothes, and wanted to greet Wu Peifu as a parent and official.But he is afraid.He knew that the magistrate in Hunan today should belong to Wu Peifu.Wu Peifu's northward retreat this time is also related to his failure to become a local official in Hunan. "Just pretend Now, wouldn't it arouse Wu Ziyu's anger even more, how embarrassing it would be if he didn't want to accept the welcome!" Zhang Jingyao returned to the inner room and immediately changed into the uniform of the military governor. The leader of the army, Wu Peifu, dare you not listen to me?" Zhang Jingyao put on the military governor's uniform with a golden sash and shoulder flowers, a BMW, riding boots, and straightened the tasseled hat with a high top and a gold strip , it came out. Daximen Wharf has long been heavily guarded, and even the traders who settled their business here have been kicked out.The crowd was crowded outside the cordon—they were crowded, discussing, and watching eagerly. They seemed to have a premonition that a life-and-death fight was about to start on the pier! Zhang Jingyao stood at the pier and asked people to report to Wu Peifu on the boat; Wu Peifu came out and stood on the bow, waiting for Zhang Jingyao to board the boat.The atmosphere was a little tense in an instant! Zhang Jingyao felt guilty, fearing that something might happen, he still boarded Wu's boat with his entourage.Wu Peifu also walked quickly to the gangway. "Welcome General Ziyu to Changsha!" Zhang Jingyao spoke first. "I wish the Marshal Qianqiu a long life!" Wu Peifu was busy replying. When the two were walking towards the side of the ship arm in arm, a soldier reported to Wu Peifu: "Someone disobeyed dissuasion and went ashore without authorization." Wu Peifu stopped and turned around, saying, "You didn't tell him that no one is allowed to go ashore." "Tell him." "Clarified?" "Clarified?" "How did you say it?" "I said, the general has an order that no officers and soldiers are allowed to go ashore during the military march, so as to ensure the safety of people along the river." Urban and rural residents live in peace; anyone who violates military orders will be beheaded!" "Then what else is there to report?" Wu Peifu said in an indisputable tone: "Just follow the military orders." Several soldiers dragged the person who had disembarked to the bow, and fell into the river with a gunshot.The clear river water immediately turned bright red. Zhang Jingyao was both surprised and delighted: he was surprised that the Wu army had strict discipline, and he ordered the law to follow him; he was delighted that none of the Wu soldiers were allowed to go ashore, which showed that the Wu army had no intention of invading Zhang Jingyao's territory.He smiled lightly and said: "The general is strict in running the army, and Xunchen (Xunchen, Zhang Jingyao) admires it very much! It's just that this brother may have done it unintentionally, but he can forgive him a little bit." "Although the matter is not serious, if everyone does not intend to act, it will not miss the military opportunity and disrupt military discipline. Military discipline is strict, so that all attacks can be conquered and all battles can be conquered. Since the commander has a kind heart, Ziyu is generous to appease this soldier's family That's it." After saying that, the two of them entered the cabin side by side, offered tea and smoke, asked the poor and warm, and the atmosphere was calm.In fact, Wu Peifu knew in his heart that as long as his three divisions left Hunan, Zhang Jingyao would not be Zhao Hengti's opponent;Even if Duan Qirui doesn't deal with it, Zhang Jingyao's life will not be easy.This is much better than Wu Peifu taking the reputation of his territory.Zhang Jingyao saw that none of Wu's soldiers were allowed to leave the water, knowing that he had no intention of seizing power, he felt much calmer.He held fragrant tea and said to Wu Peifu: "General Ziyu led the army to Changsha this time. The ministers are very grateful, and the people of Changsha are very grateful. I don't know if I plan to stay here for a while, or return to Hengyang in a hurry?" "The political situation in Hunan has been decided. From now on, it's just governance. That's the job of the commander-in-chief. Ziyu wants to return to Zhili." Wu Peifu's words are so dry that there is no doubt. "Hefei, (that is, Duan Qirui) and Cao Shuai mean, don't they want to continue to march into Guangdong and Guangxi? Why?" "The overall situation of the two lakes has been decided, and Guangdong and Guangxi are nothing to worry about." Wu Peifu shook his head lightly and smiled faintly. "There is a general guarding Nanyue, and I'm afraid that the overall situation will be unstable! The president's new management of state affairs is really a waste of time, with a lot of work to do, and the central affairs must be particularly important!" Zhang Jingyao heard what Wu Peifu said, and knew that the general situation of the northward retreat was settled, and he couldn't stay; he didn't want to stay either:.If he really stayed, he would form an alliance with the Hunan Army in the future, so he would be unable to leave even if he wanted to.Simply let him go, he only deals with the Hunan Army, maybe there is hope.After the greetings, Zhang Jingyao left in a hurry, and Wu Peifu sent him to the bow of the boat. The two waved goodbye and went their separate ways. The situation was worse than Zhang Jingyao had estimated. As soon as Wu Peifu left Hunan, Zhao Hengti followed him.The Xiang army went from Hengyang to Hengshan, from Hengshan to Zhuzhou, and from Zhuzhou, they entered Changsha via Xiangtan in an instant, putting on a posture of "eating Zhang Jingyao".How could Zhang Jingyao have the power to fight, so he had to lead Wu Xintian and Zhang Jingtang's remnants, and fled to Hubei in a hurry. It's just that the Wu army retreated to the north and Zhang's army fled to the north, and the situation was not bad.Unexpectedly, there were disagreements within the Beiyang government, and the command could not be unified. The entire southward army and the southern garrison have undergone changes: Feng Yuxiang's brigade stationed in Changde, Hunan, quietly withdrew from Hunan; Zhang Huaizhi's troops also hurriedly withdrew from Hunan and entered Jiangxi The Anwu Army and the Xiangdong Detachment of the Feng Army also set up their camps to escape.Hunan, which was once occupied by the Beiyang Army, returned to the Hunan Army in a blink of an eye. When Zhang Jingyao retreated to Wuhan, he still had a glimmer of hope: Wu Guangxin’s reinforcements will arrive in Hankou, and he will have another backer immediately—Wu Guangxin is the backbone of the Anhui faction, and the wife and brother-in-law of the leader of the Anhui faction, Duan Qirui. He can: not protect Zhang Jingyao ? Here, one more person has to be inserted——Wang Zhanyuan. Wang Zhanyuan, courtesy name Zichun, was born in Guantao, Shandong Province. He was the governor of Hubei at that time. He was also called the three governors of the Yangtze River together with Li Chun of Jiangsu and Chen Guangyuan of Jiangxi.This person is directly related and has a close relationship with Feng Guozhang.During the Revolution of 1911, Feng Guozhang, President of the First Front Army of the Qing Army, marched into Hanyang.Because of the meritorious service in capturing Hanyang and attacking Wuchang, the division commander will help and supervise the army.Although the French Guardians went north several times, Hubei has been relatively calm.This Wang Zhanyuan embraced the purpose of "closed doors and self-defense". Wang Zhanyuan is also a person who regards soldiers as his life and territory as his life.In Hubei, a small group like an iron cylinder has long been formed. For others, water drops cannot penetrate, and needles cannot penetrate.Zhang Jingyao lost from Hunan to Hubei, Wang Zhanyuan wanted to just lend him a road to let him pass.He knew that Zhang Jingyao was naked, so he didn't dare to do anything to him in Hubei.Unexpectedly, not long after Zhang Jingyao arrived in Hubei, Wu Guangxin followed him.Wu Guangxin was ordered to assist Hunan and rescue Zhang Jingyao, but he had a small team under him.Wang Zhanyuan couldn't eat anymore: "Wu Guangxin is not a good person! After discussing with the counselors, Wang Zhanyuan decided to punish Wu Guangxin first. Therefore, he "invited" Wu Guangxin to Hankou in the name of Xichen—to a very unique banquet. When Wu Guangxin arrived in Hankou, he found that Wu Peifu had already passed Dongting Lake, so he knew that his situation was very bad, and it was difficult to leave.At this time, Wang Zhanyuan posted "Please come to Wuchang for a banquet tomorrow" to show that he would clean up the dust for him.Wu Guangxin's senior counselor Tao Hong persuaded him, saying: "Wang Zichun is not our friend, please have bad intentions." Wu Guangxin smiled: "I am the commander-in-chief of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and I have two divisions and two mixed brigades in my hand. Forgive me." He, a governor of Hubei, doesn't dare to do anything to me!" Tao tried to persuade, but he said angrily, "You are too small, you dare not even go to other people's banquets, and you are talking about fighting for the world." So he brought his adjutant, Ma Bian Waiting for 16 people to cross the river in a small warship.When they landed at Hanyang Gate, they changed to a carriage sent by Wang Zhanyuan. Wang Zhanyuan waited respectfully at the two lakes patrolling envoys. When Wu Guangxin arrived, he immediately felt that the atmosphere was not right: the guards were heavily guarded, the welcome guard of honor was fully armed, and his horses were "invited" to another secluded place as soon as they arrived outside the envoy. Wu Guangxin was led to the main hall of the office, and Wang Zhanyuan was standing outside the hall.As soon as they met, Wang said: "Commander Wu, your defense lines are all over the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Why do you divide your troops and attack Wuhan?" Wu Guangxin knew that the disaster was coming, and it was too late to hide.He boldly said: "This is an order from the Ministry of War, and you have no control over it." Wang Zhanyuan entered with a sneer.Wu Guangxin wanted to withdraw.At this time, a group of guards who had already ambushed came out, and then turned Wu Guangxin to the Military Law Department for custody.It's true: Fang is a guest, that is, a prisoner.Wu Guangxin temporarily lost his freedom.Besides, a remnant soldier led by Zhang Jingtang fled to Hubei after wantonly robbing Xiangtan.The case of robbery is opened, and the soldiers are no longer easy to manage. What's more, Zhang Jingtang is Zhang Jingyao's younger brother, and he has to be caught.As soon as they arrived in Wuchang, they started searching again.Wang Zhanyuan was wary of this "foreign army" at first, but now he has detained the leader of the reinforcement army. He simply did not do anything, and in the name of "serious military discipline", he arrested Zhang Jingtang in Wuchang. executed him.Zhang Jingtang's team was naturally incorporated by Wang Zhanyuan.Zhang Jingyao's other brigade, Wu Xintian Brigade, originally had only a few remnants and defeated generals. When the leader of the reinforcement army was detained and the leader of the friendly army was killed, they fled from Hubei to Henan in a hurry like fish slipping through the net. So far, Zhang Jingyao has become a real polished commander.Looking at the rolling Yangtze River and the confronting Guishe Mountains, he shook his head and sighed. He had to secretly leave Wuhan with his family and fled to Tianjin! A mighty South Expedition Army—the backbone of the Anhui Department The army was defeated miserably by the Allied Forces - the main force of the direct line. Duan Qirui was so angry that his nose was crooked for a few days.This incident laid a deep root for the Zhiwan War that broke out not long after. Wu Peifu stopped in Wuhan for a short time and was well received by Wang Zhanyuan.After that, Wu Peifu hurried north and stationed in Luoyang.There, he will train new recruits, develop his power, and create the most prosperous era in his life-all directions will meet Zhongzhou!