Chapter Fifteen: The Journey to Beiping

  Time flies, and it's already the end of the year. Several major events have occurred in recent months. First, Shang Zhen cooperated with Bai Chongxi to surround and disarm Zhang Zongchang's remaining troops in Luandong. Bai Chongxi incorporated over 50,000 people, and Shang Zhen also incorporated over 10,000 people. Although the army was being downsized, since Bai Chongxi could incorporate troops, Yan Xishan couldn't not let Shang Zhen do the same. Reluctantly, he appointed Shang Zhen as the commander of the 32nd Army; On October 10th, Chiang Kai-shek took office as the President of the Republic of China; On December 14th, Zhang Xueliang declared his allegiance in Shenyang; On December 16th, President Chiang announced national unification in Nanjing.

  These months, the training of the security brigade has been in full swing. In order not to fall behind in the final assessment, each regiment has gone all out to train and improve the quality of training. To this end, they have come up with various methods during training and have strengthened the guard at the camp to maintain secrecy, even capturing many "spies". These "spies" were all sent to the brigade headquarters, and as soon as they arrived, the regiment commanders would receive a notification from the headquarters and come to take them away with a smile.

  In addition, more than 30,000 new recruits were recruited in the past few months. The regiment commanders who used to fight for people in order to have good assessment results collectively refused to accept new recruits. Song Zhe-wu had no choice but to build a few more barracks and assign personnel from the training team to train them.

  Several factories are booming, and the dyeing factory has become the largest in the country with the addition of four new production lines. The colored cloth is now sold to all areas north of the Yangtze River. If Song Zhiwu hadn't limited the sales range to north of the Yangtze River out of consideration for protecting national industries, they would have already sold the colored cloth nationwide. The flour factory uses a whitening agent, which has a very obvious effect, and although it's slightly more expensive, it's still in short supply, with some even being exported. As for the instant noodles produced by the noodle factory, they're extremely popular due to their convenience and quick cooking time, not only among ordinary city residents but also in the military. Northern people love eating noodles, and both the Northeast Army and Shanxi-Suiyuan Army have purchased large quantities of Xiangxue instant noodles. Even the Northwest Army, which has always been tight on funds, has placed an order. In a short time, Xiangxue instant noodles became popular all over the country. The textile factory's production is limited due to raw material constraints, and since all its products are supplied to its own dyeing factory, it hasn't gained much fame.

  Sun Jiahui, who had just been promoted to general manager of Song Zhiwu's private industry, found Song Zhiwu a few months ago and suggested that since the textile mill was restricted by raw materials and could not produce at full capacity, it would be better to use the remaining production capacity to produce some woolen products. With Song Zhiwu's strong support, the first batch of 60-count diagonal twill fabric was produced at the end of November, its drape and softness were no worse than imported ones. After seeing the fabric, Song Zhiwu immediately asked the garment factory to work overtime to produce 1,000 sets of officer uniforms, which would be given as a gift to Shang Zhen when he went to Beiping at the end of the year.

  During this period, a soap factory was also built. The idea of the soap factory came about by chance, as the meat consumption of the security team was quite large and the supply in Liyuan was insufficient. Song Zhiwu arranged for personnel to go to the surrounding areas of Liyuan to purchase live pigs, and then slaughter them upon return. The meat was used for their own consumption, while the hides were given to the garment factory to produce military items such as belts and bullet straps. As a result, large amounts of animal fat could not be consumed, and Song Zhiwu had another brainwave, building a soap factory which also sold extremely well.

  Another thing is that Wei Guanghui's cavalry regiment went to Jibei in November. Song Zhiwu is now rich and generous, and he approved 3 million yuan for Wei Guanghui at once, which was used to buy horses except for the expenses of recruiting soldiers and relocating troops.

  On December 30, after entrusting the troops to Xiao Guodong, he led the 4th Guard Company, escorting 50 fully loaded trucks, and set off towards Beiping in a grand manner. The trucks were loaded with 10,000 catties of Xuehua noodles, 1,000 sets of military uniforms, 40,000 bars of soap, 200,000 catties of beef and mutton, as well as 20,000 catties of authentic Shanxi Huaxiang Village wine in jars. The Guard Regiment now has a company equipped with horses, and Song Zhiwu rode with Chu Feng and Wang Xinggang, following the 4th Company on horseback.

  Song Zhiwu, wearing a military uniform on horseback, also wore a tight-fitting black long leather coat that was very popular in the German army. This was made by a clothing factory according to Song Zhiwu's style, and an experienced master who specialized in making fur coats was invited from Beiping to make it. A total of 5 pieces were made, with one piece each for Song Zhiwu, Xiao Guodong, and Wang Xu. The other two pieces had fox-fur collars and were given to Shang Zhen and Liu Pei.

  Luan Yuan is over 160 kilometers away from Beiping, which would be just an hour's drive in later generations. However, the current road surface is all dirt roads and relatively narrow. The road surface lacks maintenance, with many potholes and unevenness, and some sections still have unmelted snow. On such a road, the maximum speed that can be reached is only 30 kilometers per hour.

  After passing through the Zijing Pass, they slowly entered the plain and the road conditions improved. At 4 pm, Song Zhewu and his party finally arrived in Beiping, dusty and exhausted.

  Liu Pei, who had been waiting for a long time at Xizhimen, received Song Zhe Wu and directly took them to the Provincial Government Mansion. As soon as they entered the mansion, Liu Pei immediately arranged for the soldiers of the Guard Regiment to unload the car.

  When entering the city, Liu Pei saw the 50 trucks and was surprised by his eyes. He told him that this is a gift for the brothers of the 32nd Army to celebrate the New Year. Liu Pei immediately laughed with joy. As Shang Zhen's chief of staff, Liu Pei knew very well that Shang Zhen was worried about the New Year.

  In September, Shang Zhen, in accordance with the central command, joined Bai Chongxi in Lan Dong to fight against Zhang Zongchang's remaining troops. Yan Xishan, citing financial constraints, did not provide much support to Shang Zhen, and all expenses were borne by the provincial finance department.

  After surrounding and disarming Zhang Zongchang's remaining troops, Shang Zhen's forces were tasked with reorganizing the troops, dispersing the old and weak soldiers, and resettling civilians affected by the war. Additionally, they had to restore production in various parts of Hebei Province and pay the salaries of local officials.

  As a result, the already strained provincial finances were depleted. In October and November, the security brigade did not receive their full military pay for 18,000 soldiers. As Chinese New Year approached, Shang Zhen had to find ways to provide some extra pay for the soldiers. During the Spring Festival, food allowances also needed to be increased.

  Shang Zhen managed to scrape together over a million yuan from various sources and distributed an additional two yuan to each soldier. However, he was still worried about the food allowance. The troops of Zhang Yunnan, commander of the North China Garrison, were stationed in Beiping and had already begun making large purchases for the Spring Festival, with each person receiving an extra three yuan.

  Song Zhe Wu finished washing, Liu Pei was about to take him to see Shang Zhen. Song Zhe Wu smiled and said: "Wait a moment, I have a gift for you." As soon as Song Zhe Wu spoke, Chu Feng came out of the room, and after a while, he brought in a paper box and put it on the table before retreating.

  Song Zhe Wu said to Liu Pei, "The weather is cold, I asked our security travel clothing factory to make a coat for each of the participants and business leaders. Try it on, see if it fits." Liu Pei smiled and said, "Wen Ge has a kind heart, then I'll try it on." In the box was a coat that looked exactly like the one Song Zhe Wu had been wearing earlier, except with an additional fiery red fox fur collar. The soft black leather coat was clearly made of high-quality cowhide, shining brightly under the reflection of the red fox fur collar.

  Liu Pei couldn't help but gaze at Song Zhe Wu's leather jacket when he met him. When Song Zhe Wu was on horseback, it looked fine, but once he dismounted, the long and tight-fitting leather coat made him look majestic and elegant, making Liu Pei feel envious. He thought to himself that this was indeed a man who had been abroad and seen the world - this leather jacket was stylish and refined, far surpassing Zhang Yun Qiu's crude fur coat.

  Liu Pei saw the leather jacket and didn't exchange pleasantries with Song Zhe Wu, quickly putting it on. The leather jacket fit perfectly, and Liu Pei's tall stature made him look even more spirited and pleased. In front of the dressing mirror, this honest gentleman was looking left and right, but even if he wanted to take advantage, there wasn't much to gain.

  When Liu Pei liked it, Song Zhe Wu was also very happy. According to Wang Xing Gang's words, Liu Pei was a relatively clean official and never did anything like eating, taking, carding, or wanting things. Of course, as long as he didn't damage the interests of Shang Zhen and the 32nd Army, he wouldn't refuse things that came his way.

  Not taking money with ulterior motives was not easy for someone in Liu Pei's position, let alone following Shang Zhen, a man of integrity. Even if one wanted to take advantage of the situation, they couldn't gain much.

  Over the past few months, Song Zhe Wu had encountered difficulties and even been detained by Fu Zuoyi's troops while transporting goods from Tianjin to Laiyuan. It was only through Liu Pei's intervention that the goods were released.

  Song Zhe Wu believed that one should receive a corresponding return for their efforts, just like receiving a salary for doing work. He took out another check and handed it to Liu Pei: "It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'll give this money to your wife and children to buy some gifts."

  Liu Pei glanced at the check and saw that it was for 50,000 yuan. He felt a bit embarrassed, as he had not received fewer things from Song Zhe Wu over the past half year. He quickly pushed the check back into Song Zhe Wu's hand and said seriously: "Wen Ge, I haven't taken less of your things, and you still owe me two months' worth of military pay. Although you're good at making money, your security team is also large, and there are many places where you need to spend money. I really can't take this money."

  Liu Pei was indeed a straightforward person who didn't do things for personal gain and wouldn't take money without doing anything.

  Song Zhe Wu grasped Liu Pei's hand and forced the check into his pocket, then smiled and said: "Where is there such a thing? Over the past half year, I've been grateful for your support and care. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

  Liu Pei saw that Song Zhe Wu was sincere and didn't push him away anymore. He could only smile and say: "Wen Ge, then I'll just have to accept it with gratitude."

  Shang Zhen's provincial government compound, Song Zhe Wu thought should be the former Qing dynasty's certain prince's mansion, occupying a vast area of land. The courtyard has artificial hills, corridors and gardens galore. Shang Zhen's office is located in a two-story small building in the garden.

  Shang Zhen had been waiting in the office, and as soon as Liu Pei arrived with Song Zhe Wu and Chu Feng, Shang Zhen's face lit up with a big smile and he exclaimed loudly: "Wen Ge, you really are my lucky star! Your arrival has solved a huge problem for me!" Song Zhe Wu just smiled and didn't say anything. He turned around and took the large paper box from Chu Feng's hands. After Chu Feng left, he handed it to Shang Zhen: "The chairman and the members of the Hebei Father and Son Association have worked hard with all their heart, and I, Zhe Wu, deeply admire them. The weather is cold, so I specially asked the security company's clothing factory to make two coats for the chairman and the members. Please accept them." Song Zhe Wu said this, mostly from his true feelings. If Shang Zhen hadn't spent a lot of money on recovering production and resettling refugees, he wouldn't be in such a difficult situation now. Only then did Shang Zhen notice the big coat Liu Pei was wearing. It turned out that Liu Pei really liked this coat, so he didn't take it off and came to see Shang Zhen directly.

  Shang Zhen looked at Liu Pei with a smile and said, "Good you, Wen Ge, you're again giving me things ahead of time." Due to the check in his pocket, Liu Pei felt a bit embarrassed and just smiled without saying anything. Shang Zhen joked while opening the box, taking out the leather coat and putting it on, looking at himself in the mirror, he seemed much younger and liked it very much. Although it was cold outside, Shang Zhen's office was still warm, after taking a few photos, both of them took off their coats, Shang Zhen invited Song Zhe Wu to sit down, before Shang Zhen could continue speaking, Song Zhe Wu pulled out another check and handed it to Shang Zhen: "Chairman, the Spring Festival is approaching, the provincial finance is in difficulty, Chairman has many places to use money, please keep this 500,000 yuan as an emergency fund." Shang Zhen's expression stiffened slightly, his eyes seemed to flash with tears, then he recovered his smile and said: "Good, Wen Ge's money I will accept. With this money, the spring plowing of the wasteland and the seeds for spring cultivation are all settled." Seeing Shang Zhen getting emotional, Liu Pei smiled and gave Song Zhe Wu a glance, saying: "Wen Ge, you're here to report your job, why don't you quickly tell Chairman Shang?"

  Song Zhe Wu also reacted and quickly reported the situation of training troops in Li Yuan, including the special forces team, without hiding anything. He knew that even if he didn't say it, Shang Zhen would know many things anyway.

  After listening to Song Zhe Wu's report, Shang Zhen remained silent for a while before speaking slowly: "Wen Ge, you are indeed well-educated in Germany, your military training is impressive, and putting you in the position of Security Commander is a waste of talent."

  When he saw Song Zhe Wu about to speak, Shang Zhen knew he was going to be modest and stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Wen Ge, what's going on with your special forces team? It seems very mysterious."

  Song Zhe Wu knew that Wang Xing Gang might have told Shang Zhen about the special forces team through a letter, so he explained in detail the purpose and tasks of the team.

  Shang Zhen and Liu Pei both looked thoughtful for a while. "Is it really as powerful as you say?" Liu Pei asked skeptically.

  "This is just my idea when I formed the team, whether we can achieve that level depends on our training," Song Zhe Wu replied.

  After a pause, Shang Zhen spoke in a serious tone: "Wen Ge, what you said about the Guangxi clique in Tianjin might become a reality. There are already rumors circulating in the Pingjin area that Chiang Kai-shek is supporting Tang Shengzhi's return to reorganize his old troops. Most of Tang Shengzhi's old troops are now under Li Pixian and Liao Xuan, who are both from Guangxi. Although they are both Guangxi people, one was Tang Shengzhi's classmate, and the other was helped by Tang Shengzhi. If Tang Shengzhi really returns, Bai Chongxi will not be able to stop him. Moreover, that official Yan in Shanxi has also made contact with our Jin-Sui army, telling us not to interfere. What do you think we should do?"

  Song Zhe Wu thought to himself, "Indeed, history is still following its own course." After some thought, he said: "My view is also not to intervene. Intervening has two major drawbacks. First, we will offend the central government, and we are already not tolerated in Shanxi; we cannot afford to offend Chiang Kai-shek as well. Second, if we intervene, it will lead to conflict with Yan Xishan, and we do not yet have the power to do so." Shang Zhen thought for a moment before saying: "Wen Ge, you see things clearly, so let's do it that way. There is also another matter - the theft of the Eastern Mausoleum by Sun Dianying. I'm sure you already know about it; now society is in an uproar, and the central government is under great pressure. However, Sun Dianying recently led a campaign against bandits in the Songshan area and incorporated over 20,000 militia members, so his power is not to be underestimated. The central government cannot easily deal with him, but due to public opinion, they want to establish a tribunal to try the Eastern Mausoleum case, and they want me to serve as the presiding judge. What do you think we should do?" "The central government is only acting under pressure from public opinion; in the end, they will surely downplay the matter, making a big deal out of it at first but ultimately letting it slide. It's best to drag out this trial for now and see how things develop," said Song Zhe Wu slowly, lost in thought about history.

  At this time, Liu Pei glanced at his watch and said to Shang Zhen: "Qiyu, the time has come." Shang Zhen took a look at his own watch, smiled and said: "Wenge, I'm going to entertain someone today, it's just right that you meet him too. If you are a hero in the martial arts world, this person is an elite in the literary world. Giving up a good life abroad and rushing back to the country to engage in rural construction, what a rare thing!"

  Song Zhe Wu's heart moved, could it be him...

  Thank you for everyone's support.