vncnus Page 59
Page 59
The infamous Yong'an Hotel in Guangzhou has become a nightmare for the wealthy and powerful in the south. If you go there, you'll either die or be skinned alive before you come back. You either get skinned alive or your property is confiscated. There is no other choice!
Zhang Mingqi in the North at least had some bottom line when it came to taking money; he would leave you with the same amount of national debt as the amount he took, so at least you would have some interest to look forward to. But Wu Zifu in the South came up with the "Strong Nation Loan," which is a kind of interest-free, repayment-limited, and collateral-free rogue loan!
Apart from the renowned Huaiyang Chamber of Commerce, which Wu Zifu still gave some face to, all the other wealthy gentry were, in Wu Zifu's eyes, ATMs—ATMs that would automatically dispense gold coins with just a couple of taps, without even needing to enter a password!
Now Wu Zifu has finally gone south to wreak havoc on the foreigners, and the whole of Jiangnan almost set off firecrackers to celebrate. This god of death has finally changed his target!
This time, the wealthy gentry of the southern provinces didn't even mention borrowing money; they simply donated it free of charge, hoping that Wu Zifu would hurry up and launch his southern expedition instead of staying in Jiangnan.
The eldest son of the Wu family was not to be outdone. He immediately sent his mother, Wu Baishi, and his younger brother, Wu Zijian, to Beijing. He did this simply to make his determination clear: he had dealt with the British in the south, and would then march north. They shouldn't be too happy!
This bond between master and disciple made the entire southern province no longer question Wu Zifu's status as the crown prince, and they all believed the rumor that Wu Zifu was Zhao Yan's illegitimate son. If Zhao Yan and Wu Zifu were not father and son, then something was really fishy!
But the more this was the case, the less the southern provinces dared to disobey Wu Zifu, because his master, Zhao Yan, was actually his father, an even more terrifying war god-level existence. With Zhao Yan's endorsement, no one in the entire south dared to disobey Wu Zifu.
Who is Zhao Yan? He led the Northern Expedition to Beijing, annihilated the six Beiyang Army divisions, purged the Manchu Eight Banners troops across the country, then marched into Korea, killing tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers. After that, he returned to Liaodong and won the Battle of Gaizhou, which crushed nearly 300,000 troops of the Allied Powers!
Wu Zifu is undoubtedly a genius, but more importantly, he has Zhao Yan, who is suspected to be his biological father, backing him up. Who would dare to say a word against that?
The Crown Prince himself is a young war god, and the old emperor who supports him is also a war god-level figure who personally leads the army. Under such circumstances, Wu Zifu's authority is unparalleled.
In particular, the secret letter from the head of state that Wu Zifu released was something he didn't bother to hide at all. After the letter was released, it was circulated among the officials and then spread throughout the country.
Old Zhao clearly entrusted his affairs after his death to Xiao Wu in the letter. If it had been written by some emperor like Daoguang or Guangxu, the people would not have paid any attention to you. But since it was written by Zhao Yan, the people immediately recognized Xiao Wu as the crown prince.
Now that the Crown Prince is about to launch a southern expedition and has offered astonishing rewards, the people are immediately outraged and eager to join the expeditionary force.
Wu Zifu understood the situation clearly. The rewards he offered were generally one level lower than what Zhao Yan had promised in the north. As long as Zhao Yan was still around, Wu Zifu would not dare to surpass Zhao Yan in any field; this was the most basic rule.
But even a reward of this level is enough to make the people of the South risk their lives. When Zhao Yan went on his northern expedition, many people wanted to follow him and try to gain merit by following the emperor, but Zhao Yan was afraid of spending money and did not accept all of them.
Now, Xiao Wu's southern expedition has the same significance. Following the old dragon and following the young dragon are almost the same. In any case, it is a great achievement, and there is no fear of denying it. Zhao Yan explained it so clearly in the secret letter that it is almost as if Wu Zifu said it, or Zhao Yan said it.
Within just seven days, all one million laborers requested by Wu Zifu were in place. This was not a forced labor service conscripted by the government, nor did the government spend money to mobilize them. The people themselves heard the news and then enthusiastically signed up.
Wu Zifu's elite Sixth Division was easily expanded into the Sixth Army Group, becoming the first army-level unit in the Republic's National Defense Force. Wu Zifu simply sent a telegram to control the Ministry of National Defense in Beijing. The Ministry of National Defense in Beijing did not dare to make a decision and handed it over to Zhang Mingqi. Zhang Mingqi could not approve or refuse, so he quickly wrote a letter to Zhao Yan.
After receiving the letter, Zhao Yan immediately approved it without even choosing to remain silent, clearly delegating authority. As long as you don't recklessly go north and gamble everything, everything else is up to you.
When Wu Zifu first marched south, the Sixth Division had a strength of over 15,000 men. After moving south and stationing itself in Guangzhou, it had a strength of 20,000 men. In the subsequent campaigns to suppress the rebellions in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, it continued to expand.
By the end of 1906, the Sixth Division had grown to 50,000 men. Wu Zifu expanded the army without any support from the central government. Suppressing bandits and local tyrants was enough to meet the military needs. In fact, even this year, all the military equipment and supplies of the Sixth Division were imported by local gentry at their own expense.
After the order to launch the southern expedition was issued, the southern provinces offered a variety of support in an attempt to divert the prince's murderous intent. The Sixth Division was easily expanded into an army group with a strength of 100,000 men.
Moreover, the soldiers were not just cannon fodder, but well-trained and capable men. The combat effectiveness of the Sixth Army Group was in no way inferior to those so-called elite divisions.
Wu Zifu's declaration of a southern expedition was a blatant display of ambition; he never considered defense, but rather took the initiative to attack!
Wu Zifu's strategy for dealing with the British forces in Hong Kong was simple: offer sufficient rewards to recruit garrison troops from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, and gather them in the Shenzhen area. After expansion, the three brigades had a total of 47,000 troops, which was enough to guard the border.
All the invading enemies were rewarded based on the number of heads they took. Wu Zifu was completely different from Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan would capture enemy soldiers as bargaining chips in post-war negotiations, but Wu Zifu never asked for prisoners and only rewarded those who killed them.
If Hong Kong weren't so close to the coastline, making it impossible to launch an attack without control of the sea, Wu Zifu wouldn't have planned to defend at all; he would have wanted to attack directly.
There was nothing he could do; the best of the Southern Fleet had been transferred north to protect the Bohai Bay, so Wu Zifu had no choice but to find another place to attack.
The main force of the Sixth Army Group will join forces with the 4th and 5th Divisions in the southwest to launch a joint attack on British Burma and even the Indian colony. Passive defense has never been Wu Zifu's style. In fact, Wu Zifu scoffed at Zhao Yan's line-filling tactics and only admired Zhao Yan's mobile tactics. Offense is the way to go.
Wu Zifu's speech for the southern expedition was stern and succinct, consisting of only one sentence: "You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it; you choose the path to hell but refuse to come!"
Chapter 108 Sino-Russian Standoff
"Zifu is indeed like me!" Zhao Yan held the document with a face full of satisfaction, showing no fear or suspicion, only trust and complete entrustment.
Throughout the country, everything had to go through Zhao Yan. Even things approved by Zhang Mingqi still required a report to Zhao Yan for review afterward.
Wu Zifu's grand undertakings in the south could not be concealed, and Wu Zifu himself did not hide anything. He submitted all the relevant military expansion, battle strategies, attack routes, etc., to the capital for Zhao Yan to review.
They acted first and reported later, expanding a division into an army group, turning a force that was supposed to be at most 20,000 men on the Ministry of National Defense roster into a force of 100,000 men in just one week.
To put it bluntly, that's tantamount to plotting something sinister. Turning 20,000 people into 100,000 in a week—nobody would believe you if you said you didn't plan or prepare beforehand.
Moreover, this was the first army-level organization of the National Defense Force established without authorization. The capital city dared not make a decision on this matter at all and directly forwarded the documents to Zhao Yan.
"Master, this time our eldest brother has really tricked us. He's made such a big fuss, so we have to keep our fuss down!" Zhao Hao stepped forward and said with some dissatisfaction.
A country's resources are finite and traceable. Wu Zifu's large-scale southern expedition will almost certainly deplete the south's resources.
The extra losses cannot be made up for; they can only be recovered from other fronts.
The southern expeditionary force was not large, consisting of an army group plus two divisions, roughly 150,000 men. However, with the addition of civilian laborers and logistics personnel maintaining the supply lines, the total number was at least around one million.
To say that such a large-scale operation involving human and animal supplies has no impact is simply a lie. Now, due to the southern expedition, the logistical difficulties in the north have increased to a new level.
The northern provinces could not afford such a massive war, and the south launched a southern expedition. It would be strange if this didn't have an impact.
"It's alright! I'm here for you!" Zhao Yan showed no displeasure, but instead stood firm with great spirit, his face full of relief.
These days, Zhao Yan isn't afraid of his subordinates being too capable; he's more afraid of them being mediocre.
China is now at a time of great change. At such a time, it is something to be happy about when outstanding talents emerge, the more outstanding the better!
Because every time Zhao Yan deduced the course of history according to the original timeline, he found that no matter how much he and this group of people messed things up now, the result would not be worse than the original history.
If that's the case, why not let more formidable newcomers take the stage earlier? No matter how much trouble we cause, the outcome won't be worse than before. Why not boldly change things?
If Shanks is willing to risk an arm for the next era, what is there for Zhao Yan to be reluctant about?
"Send orders to the capital to provide the highest level of support for all actions of Southern Commissioner Wu Zifu! Tell them that if the North of the Republic collapses, it will be entirely my responsibility, Zhao Yan's responsibility. The hope of the Republic lies entirely in the South!" Zhao Yan decisively ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The messenger pounded his chest upon receiving the order and left.
Zhao Hao, standing to the side, asked worriedly, "Master, what should we do?"
Zhao Hao's concerns were not unfounded. Previously, Zhao Yan had ordered the capital to prepare supplies for a large-scale battle, and Zhang Mingqi had gritted his teeth and sent them over, but plans could not keep up with changes.
The British in the South also made their move, and suddenly a situation of attacking the newly established Republic from both the North and the South emerged. The South began to prepare for the Southern Expedition. The Southern Expedition, launched by Wu Zifu in a passionate manner, came at the cost of a shortage of supplies for the northern front.
Left with no other choice, the resources that Zhao Yan had originally planned to raise for a new battle were diverted to the Korean Peninsula to sustain the army's attrition.
Fortunately, Zhao Yan had made preparations in advance; otherwise, Wu Zifu's actions could have created a major loophole in the war situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Currently, the battlefield in which the People's Liberation Army has deployed the most troops and invested the most resources is the Korean Peninsula battlefield. In order to consolidate his line-filling tactics, Wang Chongshan has started to build a defensive line composed of trenches and tunnels in the mountains along the Daejeon line.
A total of 600,000 troops were pinned down along the Daejeon line, creating a massive defensive system that stretched over 50 kilometers in depth. The Anglo-Japanese Allied Forces also gritted their teeth and advanced 700,000 to 800,000 troops to engage in a stalemate and attrition.
The other side is an industrialized nation with sea, land, and rail transport capabilities, but the Republic is a country that has barely stepped into the threshold of an industrialized nation. Such consumption is no small matter.
Wang Chongshan's sole purpose was to use massive amounts of supplies and money to stop the allied forces, but this was also Zhao Yan's greatest expectation of Wang Chongshan: if he could withstand the pressure and hold out, then he would have succeeded.
When Zhao Yan entrusted his hopes to others, he always offered the most pessimistic predictions as his greatest support. Apart from Wu Zifu, he did not expect any miracles to happen to anyone else.
When it comes to himself, Zhao Yan holds the highest expectations and makes the most economical investments, even if it means risking his life.
Now, Zhao Yan is leading five divisions of the Eastern Route Army, relying on Suifenhe, a key point on the Chinese Eastern Railway, to form a stalemate with 120,000 Russian troops.
With 88,000 National Defense Army soldiers under Zhao Yan's command, Zhao Yan theoretically had the ability to defeat or even annihilate the Russian army, but unfortunately, the supplies from the rear could not be supplied.
The logistical support required by an army in a defensive posture and an army in an offensive posture are two different concepts.
Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Zhao Yan can't force the rear to supply more resources now; he can only cook as much as he can.
The Russian army also relied on Vladivostok as its rear base and had no intention of launching an attack, which thwarted Zhao Yan's plan to lure the enemy deep into their territory.
The reason is simple: the Russian army clearly knew that Zhao Yan was right in front of them, and only a fool would launch an attack at this point.
Zhao Yan's name resounds throughout the world. Elsewhere, it might just be a casual greeting, but in the Far East, it's not just a casual greeting; it's a real deterrent.
The complete annihilation of a Japanese division, something the Russian army had never accomplished before, was a piece of cake for Zhao Yan. Whether fighting the Japanese or the British, Zhao Yan was always at ease, and he could fight with either superior or inferior forces.
Such an ability sounds ordinary, but when manifested on the battlefield, it becomes terrifying. Anyone who encounters an opponent like Zhao Yan would be hesitant.
While the lower ranks of the Russian army may be filled with mindless scoundrels, the higher-ups are not. The best approach against such an opponent is to wear them down rather than resorting to any underhanded tactics.
Although the Tsar frequently urged the front lines to launch an offensive, the Russian generals at the front were quite aware of the situation and made various excuses to stall.
To put it bluntly, with what you, Tsar, have given us, we're already doing well just to be able to hold our own against Zhao Yan on the front lines. You expect us to take huge risks and launch an attack? You're just dreaming.
The emperor is far away, so why don't you, Your Majesty the Tsar, personally lead the army? Then we'll attack with our lives on the line.
Zhao Yan's logistics supply line ran into problems, and the army began to experience food shortages. However, the Russian army was not having an easy time either, as the constant revolutionary uprisings in their rear meant that the Trans-Siberian Railway was always in a state of intermittent, frequent, and incomplete urination.
You're dreaming if you think you can sustain a fierce offensive of more than 100,000 troops with just this harsh, cold land in the Far East!
Russian soldiers are not afraid of death, they are not courting it!
Zhao Yan's mobile warfare and flanking maneuvers terrified the Russians. The Gray Beasts' fearlessness was contingent on having enough rye bread. If they were surrounded and outmaneuvered, without even sawdust or rye bread, the Gray Beasts would surrender without hesitation!
The best way to defend against Zhao Yan's flanking maneuvers is for you to have a micro-management master who can compress command levels and maximize efficiency, or for your army to surpass the National Defense Force in terms of equipment, firepower, speed of action, and combat skills.
If you can't do any of these things, then you can only honestly rely on your logistics base to confront and wear down Zhao Yan. That's what the British and Japanese did, so why can't the Russians?
Besides Zhao Yan's deterrent power, what the Russian army feared most was the constant revolutionary uprisings in the rear. If any of them happened, the Trans-Siberian Railway would be interrupted, and if the railway was cut off, the fighting capacity of the Russian army in the Far East would immediately vanish.
Uprisings and rebellions were nothing unusual for Russia; they happened every year, and even the Tsar was used to it. But a proletarian revolutionary uprising with a program, a proposition, organization, and cross-regional unity was a first.
This would be a fatal blow to the Tsarist Russian government in the Far East. If this had happened in the heart of Europe, the Tsarist Russian government would have executed all the workers and peasants involved in the revolution without hesitation.
But you can't do that in the Far East. The Far East only has this much population now, and all the farmers and workers are the core foundation for maintaining Tsarist Russia's rule.
If you really execute them all, the Chinese will laugh their heads off, because they won't need to attack anymore; they can just wait to be trapped and starved to death.
For a combination of reasons, the Russian military commanders wisely ignored the Tsar's order to attack and chose to engage in a stalemate with Zhao Yan.
In any case, Zhao Yan is fighting on multiple fronts, while the Russian army is only fighting on a single front. If they can't afford to lose at this level, Tsarist Russia might as well just collapse.
Zhao Yan appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was very anxious and helpless.
He's not afraid of anything; at worst, he'll lose a game of all-in and the situation collapses. But he's helpless when he encounters an opponent who's smart and knows how to wear him down.
The Anglo-Japanese allied forces are now holed up and playing a stalemate, while the Russian army, which has always been known as the "steamroller of Europe," has also started to learn bad habits and engage in a standoff and attrition strategy.
Zhao Yan was extremely worried. If this continued, it would be like China was simultaneously engaging in a war of attrition with multiple countries, including Britain, Japan, and Russia. This was a game they couldn't afford; it was a pure slow death!
Zhao Yan was confident that he could wear down Japan alone, but if the Commonwealth and Russia were added, he would have no confidence at all.
Chapter 109 The Reformation Camp and the Manchurian Volunteer Corps
In early September, Zhao Yan personally led his troops to confront the Russian army in Vladivostok. After half a month of attrition, Zhao Yan finally couldn't hold on any longer.
These damned Russians on the other side, they just give their soldiers a big loaf of bread mixed with sawdust every day, and then they can wear down the Wehrmacht until the end of the world.
Zhao Yan was furious with this kind of play. The lane-filling tactic he promoted had backfired, and everyone was copying it!
Looking at the barbed wire and trench system stretching four or five kilometers deep across the other side, Zhao Yan never dreamed that the clown was himself!
The trench warfare nightmare that the Germans hadn't even experienced yet, they encountered it themselves.
The malicious British even shipped entire ships full of barbed wire, imitation grenades, Maxim guns, and all sorts of other equipment to the Russian army in order to keep Zhao Yan occupied.
The British and Japanese both expressed their unwillingness to have Zhao Yan appear on the opposite side of them, and since the Russians were capable, they would support them even if it meant paying them to do so.
To prevent Zhao Yan from escaping, even the Japanese have started providing free aid to the Russians. What the hell is going on?
The plan on the other side was very effective. Zhao Yan really couldn't get away. He was personally on the front line, and the five divisions of the Eastern Route Army had high expectations for him. If he did nothing and achieved nothing, and then slipped away, the morale of the front line would collapse.
Because now everyone sees Zhao Yan as their hope, you are the embodiment of victory. If your presence is the same as not being here, the soldiers here will not be able to accept it.
But faced with the Russian army's turtle-shell-like defense, Zhao Yan was helpless. In mobile warfare, you have to force the enemy out of their lines. If the enemy is hiding like a turtle, there's nothing Zhao Yan can do.
It's already September. Once October arrives, winter will be in full swing in Northeast China. With the weather freezing, the National Defense Force will be even more unable to sustain its operations.
The standoff across the entire Korean Peninsula consumes the resources needed for an entire winter, requiring the entire nation to exert its utmost efforts. If you were to create another "Suifenhe-Vladivostok black hole," the rear would be blown up in no time.
This hidden danger must be eliminated, otherwise there will never be peace in Northeast China. With Japan's "Kwantung Leased Territory" to the south and Tsarist Russia's "Vladivostok" to the north, it's a pincer movement. It's better to just abandon Northeast China. Anyway, it can only be an agricultural area, and its output can't even cover its consumption.
These two critical locations were both lost by the Manchus, and they were lost with little resistance. Now that it's our turn to take them back, it will be extremely difficult.
Only now did Zhao Yan realize that the Manchu Qing dynasty's territorial expansion was a complete lie, nothing more than a PPT presentation used by A-share listed companies to raise money!
The biggest basis for later generations to praise the Qing Dynasty is that map of China drawn on paper, which is said to be the most extensive in Chinese history!
But when Zhao Yan led his army there, he discovered that it was all a scam! The so-called expansion of territory was nothing short of an ambush from all sides!
No matter where they fight, they have no foundation; it's no different from fighting in foreign lands! Take the Northeast for example. When Zhao Yan led his army to fight, he had to start resettlement and land reclamation two or three years in advance, build railways, and clear out bandits. While fighting and preparing for war, he also had to carry out various tasks such as land reclamation, resettlement, Sinicization, and stability maintenance.
You're saying this is your own territory, this is fighting on home soil? The US military didn't even do this much in Afghanistan, okay?
And then there's Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet—territories nominally listed as part of the Qing Dynasty's territorial expansion achievements—now they're all in chaos. In Outer Mongolia, Cossack cavalry are even dividing up pastures, and Tannu Tuva is practically becoming Russian territory!
The situation in Xinjiang is even more outrageous. With British support, the Russians have begun encouraging Central Asian tribes to migrate into Xinjiang, claiming it as Russian territory.
Needless to say, in Tibet, the Living Buddha is currently in Delhi, India, holding friendly talks with the British envoy.
You dare call this territorial expansion? You haven't even implemented the most basic system of control!
These places have absolutely no centripetal force towards the central government, and the central government has no ability to mobilize their manpower and resources. If this is to be called territorial expansion, then Zhao Yan can just draw a China on a world map and call it territorial expansion!