The Empty Spirit Chapter 69 The Selfish and Mercenary

  It's hard to say how old he is, an old member of the alliance, and also one of Japan's early military officers. With such qualifications, he can command those miscellaneous troops. The Central Army's strength is far inferior to that of the other two warlords, and the regular army's troop strength is insufficient, so they can only use those small warlords on the surface who listen to orders locally. To be able to hold out until today with a group of miscellaneous troops is already quite good."

  Actually, from the beginning of the war, Wang Yaowu didn't think much of Chiang Kai-shek. Apart from the Northeast Army, almost all the new warlords in the world were enemies of Chiang Kai-shek. But Wang Yaowu had no choice, many people who came from Guangzhou to participate in the Northern Expedition like him had no choice. Protecting one's immediate interests was the most important thing, and it was a matter of "one day as king, one day as minister". As for the original Three Principles of the People, that was what everyone was shouting about.

  "He's indeed an old hand in Shanghai, well-versed in all the vices. He can outdo anyone when it comes to indulging in pleasures. Those petty warlords on the scene are just a bunch of country bumpkins compared to him. On his special train at the river port, there were all sorts of high-end cigarettes and liquor, exotic delicacies, famous chefs from home and abroad, and a group of high-class courtesans from Hankou. This was how he set up his 'home away from home' in the army. Those country bumpkins in the motley crew brought their whores along and spent their days indulging in food, drink, and merriment inside, so no one ever thought of surrendering. Alas, it's a wretched life for the Northwestern Army, skilled fighters though they may be."

  The first dish of the fifth Ya has been stir-fried and placed on the table. However, at this time, Wang Yaozu and Le Xin are not hungry yet, and neither of them intends to sit down and eat. The music dust in the house did not hear his father's voice and could only do his homework obediently inside.

  "Faced with a mob, only such unorthodox methods can be used. Under the influence of wine, lust, wealth and prestige, although many local warlords grumbled, they were willing to command their troops to fight. The area south of the Pinghan Railway was thus defended, which is indeed a rare achievement. Now there's new news that many officers from the Northwestern Army have directly gone to the homes of soldiers, abandoning their troops. They've joined the ranks of those who indulge in food, drink and pleasure. This is also what they call 'softness can overcome steel'." Shi Ankang couldn't help but sigh.

  If you can't destroy a powerful enemy from the front, then destroy it from within. As for Chiang Kai-shek's ability to command battles, Wang Yaowu never thought highly of it. However, when it comes to manipulating politics and buying people's hearts, Chiang Kai-shek's tactics have always been admired by Wang Yaowu.

  "With the current situation, the Northeast Army will eventually enter the pass, and once they do, the war will be over. Commander-in-Chief Chiang will be the ultimate victor. Although Commander-in-Chief Chiang's ability to command troops is not great, when it comes to political means, there is no one in China who can match him. Once the internal divisions within the party are resolved, the next target will be the Communist Party armies hiding in various southern regions. Le Da Ge, what do you think about those Communist bandits?"

  Military plus politics, many successful people have relied on such means to achieve victory for 5,000 years. Within the party, there is no more military conflict, and the big and small warlords still belong to the Nationalist Party. All are forced to acknowledge Chiang's commanding position, so next they will certainly deal with ** who is growing stronger in the south. Wang Yaowu took the opportunity to shift the topic to **.

  "Yaozu, my heart is already tired. I'm really tired of some of the scheming and plotting that goes on. In the future, it will be your generation's world, Yaozu. The key is how you see it - do you really think they are communist bandits?" Leixin didn't want to answer and instead asked Wang Yaozu back.

  "Brother Le, you're just over thirty, how can you be old? Thirty is the prime of life. Now it's just the beginning. As for my views on the Communist Party, if they were really a group of bandits and robbers, we wouldn't have to worry so much. Catch one and two more pop up. Eliminate one small group and another immediately replaces it, this isn't a problem of Communist deception. They have a strong foundation, extremely powerful organizational capabilities, and have gained the support of many intellectuals and ordinary people, how can they be considered bandits? Not to mention that they're still very weak and made many mistakes before. So the whole world is still ours. Eliminating the Communist Party is just a matter of time. Brother Le, do you think I'm right?"

  The struggle for the world is a matter of strength, and it is a contest of military morale and civilian morale. Wang Yaowu believes that although there are still many problems within the Kuomintang, the numerous small warlords in various localities only nominally obey the central government, but in reality they all have their own plans to preserve their power. However, compared with the Communist bandits' few small bases, the odds of victory are great.

  "There are rights and wrongs. If we ourselves were not problematic, why would we have broken with **, and why would so many people be willing to follow ** without fear of being killed? In those years, in order to overthrow the Northern Warlords and achieve the Three Principles of the People, how many people died on the road to the Northern Expedition? And now, how many people still remember the passionate ideals of that time? Ya Zu, what have you forgotten again?"

  It's embarrassing to say that I joined the Guangzhou National Government and participated in the Northern Expedition because I didn't want to be controlled by my family for the rest of my life.

  Right. Actually, back then when I participated in the Northern Expedition, how many people were truly doing it for the greater good? Most of them were just opportunists, taking a huge gamble. Now, I only want to hold on to what I have in front of me. Throughout history, selfish and self-serving individuals have always been looked down upon, but in reality, there are far more selfish people than those who genuinely work for the public good, and I am one of them.

  —

  "It's really helpless, but it's also reality. So now I just want to focus on Buddhism and not think about other things. But even if Buddha is in my heart, sometimes when I encounter certain things, I still can't stop the anger in my heart, this is also my heart demon."

  Wang Ya Zu listened, and after listening, he temporarily stopped speaking. Everything was reasonable, but also unreasonable. But Wang Ya Zu really didn't want to think about it anymore, so he just nodded his head and remained silent. That matter had passed for some time already, if Wang Ya Zu really wanted to report it to Shi An Guo, he would have said something long ago.

  "The dishes are ready, let's sit down quickly. If they get cold, they won't taste good. Xiao Chen, it's time to eat." After a moment of silence, it was finally time to eat, and the two of them couldn't talk anymore. Seeing Le Chen jumping out of the room and sitting down in his own seat, Wang Yaozu and Le Xin exchanged a smile, while Wu Ya looked at her son with such poor manners and gently tapped on Le Chen's little head.

  It was a dinner where both host and guest were pleased, although Wang Yaowu's inner doubts had not been resolved. However, both Wang Yaowu and Le Xin let out a sigh of relief, no longer needing to be overly guarded against each other. Wang Yaowu didn't care about beliefs, ideals, or the grudges between the two parties; he only cared about what he could gain and what he would lose. Since he didn't want to lose anything now, he couldn't gain anything either.

  Back home, Wang Yaowu originally wanted to go straight to bed, but he couldn't go upstairs because Shangguan Hui had arrived and was waiting for him. Six days had passed, and Wang Yaowu hadn't contacted Shangguan Hui or looked for another woman to fool around with at night. His conversations with Wu Ma had decreased significantly, not because there was nothing to say, but because he didn't want to talk.

  Up to today, Shangguan Hui finally came to find Wang Yaowu on his own initiative. Wang Yaowu immediately guessed that it was Wu Ma who had asked Shangguan Hui to come. Faced with Wu Ma's arrangement, Wang Yaowu didn't know whether he should be angry or moved. From the beginning, many things were also for his sake.

  "Yaozu Ge, have you been busy lately?" Shangguan Hui saw Wang Yaozu return and immediately stood up, looking at him with some tension, his expression not quite matching his words.

  Shangguan Hui was a bit nervous and stiff, Wang Yaoyu took one look and knew that Shangguan Hui was worried now, the so-called worry had something to do with another woman, a woman who had disappeared for five years and suddenly appeared. And all of this was told to Shangguan Hui by Wu Ma.

  "It's not too busy, anyway, it's just that things are a bit troublesome. Ahui, how have your parents been lately?" Facing this girl who only wanted to marry him, Wang Yaizu didn't want to hurt Shangguan Hui, so he shifted the topic to her parents.

  "Fine, Father has been busy with that piece of land near the French concession. He said as long as he owns that land, I can study abroad without any problem. Mother has recently become close to many officials' wives in the municipal government, and those aunts often come to our home to play." Shangguan Hui finished speaking, her expression becoming somewhat melancholic. Her father was busy making money, her mother was busy currying favor with the officials' wives, Shangguan Hui felt lonely, and recently Wang Yaoyu hadn't looked for her either, so she felt even lonelier.

  Because of a piece of land, a piece of land that many people value, Shangguan Hui's parents had a qualitative leap after getting it. It was not only because the land was valuable, but also because Shangguan Hui's father obtained the land with the help of French people. Being able to get the land meant that Shangguan Hui's father had a good relationship with the French, and others became wary of him.

  "As parents, their excuses are always the same. What they strive for and want to get is all for their children, for future generations. But what the children really think, they rarely understand. Nor do they often listen. Ahui, if you feel lonely, you can invite your classmates to go out and play together, or you can also call me."

  "Dad and mom are also very hardworking, I understand all these. Ya Zu Ge, if I'm feeling lonely, I'll definitely call you, but if you have any troubles, Ya Zu Ge, you must tell me too. Keeping troubles to oneself can be really painful."

  Shangguan Hui is indeed a good child, and apart from being a good child, Wang Yaoyu doesn't know how to describe Shangguan Hui. In the end, Wang Yaoyu said: "I understand, but some things I still have to face alone." Gunsmoke Silent Volume 1 Empty Spirit Chapter 69 Selfish People