Chapter 4: The Merchant Chairman's Thoughts (Part 2)

  Liu Pei, who was sitting in the car, nudged Shang Zhen. "What are you thinking about, Qi Yu brother?" Shang Zhen opened his eyes and burst out laughing. "I was just thinking that Fu Yi Sheng's expression when he spoke earlier was a bit sour. Haha." Shang Zhen couldn't help but laugh loudly again. Looking at Shang Zhen's excited appearance, like a child who had won something, Liu Pei couldn't help but smile.

  "Right, Guwu." Liu Pei's courtesy name was Guwu. "I understood what Fu Yisheng said earlier - 'good at making money and good at taking it away' - does that mean he won't embezzle military funds?"

  Liu Pei gave Shang Zhen a sideways glance and flipped him a white eye. "I'm telling you, Chairman Shang, for the past two months, you've given Song Zhe Wu 360,000 taels of military pay based on the number of 18,000 people. But do you know how much the actual military pay is for Song Zhe Wu's 18,000 people over these two months? It's 900,000, it's 900,000! The amount you gave wouldn't even be enough if it was all distributed. Each soldier spends 25 taels per month, and only receives 5 taels. And as far as I know, no one in Song Zhe Wu's troops dares to embezzle military pay. Song Zhe Wu himself certainly won't, because that's his own money."

  Shang Zhen thought for a moment and laughed. Song Zhe Wu had told Liu Pei about using his own family's property to support this battalion.

  Fu Yisheng's words were indeed sour, he was still angry. The supplies of the Zhili warlord made Fu Yisheng and his subordinates very envious, at that time if I hadn't mediated, Song Zhiwu spent money to give Fu Yisheng's troops a new uniform, they would have fought for it. As for making money, this Song Zhiwu is indeed a business genius. When his family's old master passed away, he left him with several factories, which could earn more than 2 million yuan per year.

  "Over 20 million yuan!" Merchant Zheng's mouth was agape in shock. Seeing Merchant Zheng's expression, Liu Pei sneered and curled up the corner of his mouth. "Last year, several large dyeing factories in Shanghai jointly sold at low prices in North China, intending to crush his dyeing factory. I don't know what method Song Zhe Wu used, but the cloth he dyed had much brighter colors than other factories' cloth. Now it's just a matter of raising the price for sale, and those distributors from all over the place will have to line up and wait."

  Shang Zhen was about to speak, but Liu Pei knew what he wanted to say and continued: "At first, I also thought that Song Zhewu had capable people under him, but the manager of Song Zhewu's dyeing factory told me personally that the secret formula for dyeing cloth was made by Song Zhewu himself. That manager had studied printing and dyeing in England and admired Song Zhewu greatly. Now, just this one dyeing factory can earn over 300,000 yuan per month."

  "Song Zhe Wu is just a soldier, but he actually understands technology and economics. It seems I underestimated him." Shang Zhen said quietly, gazing out the window.

  "Look, Qi Yu, this is Song Zhe Wu's security brigade. Their uniform color is special." Liu Pei pointed to the 4th company soldiers responsible for sentry duty outside the car.

  Shang Zhen was completely captivated by the submachine guns in the soldiers' hands. Along the front windshield of the car, a long line of guards stretched for over 300 meters, all armed with submachine guns - Song Zhe Wu really did have money to burn.

  The car stopped in front of the dyeing factory, and Weishi Long got out first to open the door for Shang Zhen. Shang Zhen and Liu Pei got out one after another. What caught Shang Zhen's attention was a young colonel standing upright at the entrance of the dyeing factory, wearing a military uniform that made him look strong and handsome, just like a typical soldier. He couldn't help but secretly praise him in his heart.

  At this moment, Song Zhe Wu was also looking at his superior officer, who had a medium build and a slightly chubby round face. If it weren't for the sharp eyes that were characteristic of military personnel and the lieutenant general's uniform, one might have thought he was a businessman. He saw another historical figure, and although Song Zhe Wu had been in this era for two years now, he still felt somewhat excited to see Shang Zhen.

  Song Zhe-wu quickly ran to the front of Shang Zhen, neatly and efficiently saluted with a standard military salute, "Hebei Security Independent Mixed Brigade Commander Song Zhe-wu greets Chairman Shang!" Shang Zhen straightened his body and also returned a standard military salute. While carefully sizing up Song Zhe-wu, he repeatedly said "good" from his mouth. Liu Pei saw this and knew that Shang Zhen had already taken a liking to Song Zhe-wu, just like when they first met. He jokingly said: "I'm just the chief of staff, but Chairman Shang is your direct superior, can't even let you into the house?"

  Song Zhe-wu knew that Liu Pei had seen him somewhat discomposed, and he made an apology for himself, and also saluted Liu Pei with a military salute. He said to Shang Zhen: "Zhe-wu has met the Chairman for the first time, and is somewhat discourteous; please ask the Chairman to forgive me. The Chairman must be tired from traveling, please go in and rest."

  "No need for formalities, we're all soldiers." He said as he walked into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, Shang Zhen couldn't help but pause in surprise. Unlike the commotion outside caused by the crowd of onlookers, the courtyard was filled with fully armed soldiers standing at attention, yet there wasn't a single sound, only faint breathing could be heard.

  "Attention, the whole Hebei Security Independent Mixed Brigade Guard Battalion salutes Chairman Shang. Please inspect, Chairman Shang." Ye Changgui gave a crisp order after standing at attention. The uniform and synchronized voices proved that this unit had good training. Looking at the standard movements of these young soldiers, and the more than 100 light and heavy machine guns and mortars under their feet, Shang Zhen thought of Fu Zuoyi's words again, "Good military discipline, good weapons, good training."

  Shang Zhen walked solemnly to the front of the troops, returning the salute to the soldiers on both sides. At Liu Pei's signal, Song Zhe Wu ordered the entire unit to rest in place before leading Shang Zhen and Liu Pei into the house. He invited Shang Zhen and Liu Pei to take a seat, while Chu Feng brought in three guards with tea utensils and then exited the room. Song Zhe Wu personally poured tea for Shang Zhen and Liu Pei, then stood respectfully by their side with his hands clasped together.

  Song Zhe Wu knew that being polite would not be frowned upon, and giving a good impression to Shang Zhen, who would be his superior in the future, would bring many benefits to this unit. In Song Zhe Wu's memory, on August 14th, 1929, the Nationalist Party Central Committee accepted Yan Xishan's fake resignation and appointed Shang Zhen, who was inclined towards the central government and had a grudge against Yan Xishan, as the Chairman of Shanxi Province. Xu Shichang took over as the Chairman of Hebei Province. As soon as Shang Zhen arrived in Taiyuan, he was placed under house arrest by Yan Xishan.

  Shang Zhen was very satisfied with Song Zhe Wu's respectful attitude, pulled Song Zhe Wu's hand to sit down, and smiled: "Song Lü Zhang, your word is Wen Ge, right?" Song Zhe Wu stood up and replied: "Yes, my humble name is Wen Ge."

  "Sit down, sit down. Wen Gong, what's difficult about moving the defense?" Shang Zhen asked Song Zhe Wu with a smile.

  "Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your concern. The relocation has been going smoothly thanks to Liu Zan's active coordination. Today, I and the guard battalion will set out. As for the specific location in Taiyuan, it has been arranged by Liu Zan, and the local authorities have been very cooperative. The troops' quarters are already well-prepared." Song Zhe-wu replied calmly.

  "Listening to the Chief of Staff, your several factories are going to relocate with the army. Tianjin is convenient for transportation and is the largest commercial city in North China, why do you want to move to a small county town in Laiyuan mountain area?"

  "There are two reasons. Firstly, my troops rely on these factories for food and I absolutely cannot afford to lose them, and I am unable to take care of them in Luoyang. Secondly, there is the problem with the dyeing factory - Japanese trading companies have approached me multiple times wanting to buy my secret formula and techniques for printing and dyeing. Yesterday they offered a price of 3 million taels, but after I rejected it, they indicated that they would raise the price of the semi-finished cloth they supply to me in the future. It seems the Japanese are determined to get what they want. If the factory is located in Tianjin, I will not be able to rest easy."

  "It's those little Japanese again." As soon as the Japanese were mentioned, Shang Zhen's face turned red with rage. The recent Jinan Massacre had infuriated all Chinese people, let alone a soldier like Shang Zhen.

  Looking at Shang Zhen and Liu Pei's expressions, Song Zhewu thought to himself that the military men of this era, regardless of which party they belonged to, were mostly still hot-blooded.

  "Hebei and Henan are both cotton-producing areas. To avoid being controlled by others, I plan to expand the textile mill in Laiyuan. Moreover, the domestic chemical industry is weak, and Zhe Wu has some knowledge of chemistry, so he also wants to build some factories." Song Zhe Wu continued.

  "Good!" As soon as Shang Zhen heard that Song Zhe Wu was going to build a factory in Laiyuan, he became excited. "Wen Ge, since the Beiyang government, Hebei has been plagued by war and the people have suffered greatly. To improve the lives of the common people, the first priority is to develop water conservancy and stabilize agricultural production. The second is to vigorously develop industry and commerce, increase employment opportunities for landless peasants, and increase tax revenue. With increased tax revenue, I as the provincial chairman can do more things for the people of Hebei."

  Liu Pei saw that Shang Zhen had gone off topic, and lightly cleared his throat. Shang Zhen also sensed this, and to cover it up, he picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

  "Weng, you graduated from the Dresden Infantry School, didn't you?" "Yes." Song Zhe Wu knew that Shang Zhen was about to get to the point and became more cautious in his response.

  Shang Zhen continued to ask, "But why did you build your own troops and join Zhang Zongchang's command instead of joining the Central Army? With your overseas background, you would have had a bright future in the Central Army. Even if you joined the Revolutionary Army this time, there are not only Shanxi-Suiyuan Army in North China, and even if you joined the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, you didn't have to come all the way here, just because I have some relationship with the Gatz family?"

  Song Zhe-wu knew that Shang Zhen was trying to figure out his attitude towards the Central Government, which was actually his attitude towards Yan Xishan's Jin-Sui Army. This would determine whether Shang Zhen would suppress or support him in the future. After a moment of contemplation, Song Zhe-wu calmly said: "At first, I also wanted to join the Central Army and build an army that could rival those of Western powers according to my own ideas, making some contributions to national defense. However, there are two reasons why I cannot join the Central Army for now. Firstly, it is difficult for non-Huangpu Clique members to get opportunities to lead troops in the Central Army, and it is also hard for them to have major development. Secondly, I would not have much freedom to exercise my abilities within the Central Army. These are the reasons why I cannot join the Central Army."

  Shang Zhen and Liu Pei listened attentively. Song Zhiwu sorted out his thoughts and continued, "This time in the Second Northern Expedition, those who entered Hebei included Yan Xishan's Second Group Army, the Guangxi clique's Fourth Group Army, and Feng Yuxiang's Third Group Army."

  Song Zhe-wu mentioned Yan Xishan without calling him "General", but instead called him by his name in a very disrespectful manner. Shang Zhen and Liu Pei couldn't help but exchange a glance. Song Zhe-wu pretended not to notice and continued, "The Northwestern Army is strong in combat, but too poor. I'd be very embarrassed if my own troops' wealthy patron were to spend lavishly like this." At this point, Song Zhe-wu chuckled self-deprecatingly. "So, it's also impossible for us to join the Third Group Army."

  "The two commanders of the Fourth Army Group are very strategic in military affairs and tolerant of their subordinates, which should be most suitable for me. However, the Guangxi clique takes Guangxi as its foundation and is connected with Guangdong. Furthermore, it controls the two Hu provinces and advances to North China. With an army of over 3 million men, distributed across several provinces from south to north, this situation cannot continue indefinitely without being tolerated by the central government. Joining the Fourth Army Group would be very dangerous, so I can only choose the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army."

  Song Zhe-wu's remarks about the Fourth Army shocked both of them. Liu Pei, who had been silent until then, said: "Wen Ge, your words are a bit too sensational, aren't they? Not to mention that all three armies currently obey the Central Command, even if we take a step back and say that the Central Committee really wants to deal with the Guangxi clique... it's definitely not going to help the Central Army fight against the Guangxi clique. The Guangxi clique has Guangxi as its base, has amassed troops in the two Hu provinces, and still has an army of 100,000 in North China. If a real battle were to break out, who would win or lose is hard to say."

  Shang Zhen nodded slightly, he also thought Song Zhe Wu's words were somewhat alarming and exaggerated.

  Song Zhiwu smiled calmly and said, "The participants only see the surface prosperity of the Guangxi clique, but in fact, the Guangxi people from the two lakes are not a monolithic entity. Within the large faction, there are still small factions, and although they have gathered heavily, they may not be united in heart and morality. Moreover, among Bai Chongxi's troops in North China, Li Pinxian and Liao Xiang's two armies were originally Tang Shengzhi's men, all from the three rivers of Hunan. Bai Chongxi is still watching the northwest from Hebei. This time, in response to the troop reduction case, he proposed a border defense plan, wanting to take 1 million troops to Xinjiang, which made Chairman Chiang uneasy. Once something happens, as long as there is support from the central government, Tang Shengzhi only needs to call out loudly, and the Guangxi clique's troops in North China will disperse like smoke. At that time, the central government can take action, using all its strength to deal with the Wuhan side. If the strategy is correct, perhaps without the central government sending a single soldier, the Wuhan problem can be solved, and dealing with the Guangxi clique, which is isolated in one corner, will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

  Song Zhe-wu's words left Shang Zhen and Liu Pei extremely shocked. According to Song Zhe-wu's inference, if Chiang Kai-shek really wanted to deal with the Guangxi clique, the seemingly invincible Guangxi clique would not be able to withstand a single blow, and it was very likely that the Guangxi clique would never recover from this blow, or even fall into an irretrievable situation. Although it seemed unlikely in the current situation, reason told them that Song Zhe-wu's inference made a lot of sense. If Chiang Kai-shek in Nanjing really wanted to support Tang Shengzhi, who had been forced out of office, to deal with the Guangxi clique, the Guangxi clique's power in North China would inevitably cease to exist.

  Shang Zhen was shocked and delighted, this trip to Tianjin was worthwhile. This security guard, who was originally not taken seriously by himself, not only excelled in military tactics but also had a deep understanding of economics. What's even more remarkable is that at the age of 25 or 26, he already has such keen insight into the political situation. This young man is not simple, his future prospects are boundless, and being able to have him as a subordinate is an opportunity that must be seized.

  But what surprised Liu Pei even more was that since taking over Song's department, all matters such as relocation were handled by him. This time, in the past two months, he had met with Song Zhe Wu a total of three times. The first time, the excellent equipment and training of the Security Brigade shocked Liu Pei greatly. In less than two years, they had transformed a group of farmers into an elite army, something Liu Pei knew he couldn't do himself. The second time they met, Liu Pei learned about the dye factory from Sun Jia Hui's mouth and was shocked again. A young master from a wealthy family could become a skilled martial artist through hard work, but it was even more surprising that he understood the ways of science, technology, and economics, with several factories thriving under his management. Not only could Liu Pei not do this himself, but also, looking at the various factions' troops in the country at present, no one else could achieve this either. This time, it shocked Liu Pei even more. If he hadn't heard it from Song Zhe Wu's own mouth, he absolutely wouldn't have believed that these words came from a young man.

  Song Zhe Wu saw that the two of them were looking at him with complex expressions and not speaking, knowing that his performance had succeeded by more than half. He continued to say: "So I can only join the Shanxi Army."

  Liu Pei saw Shang Zhen glance at himself, knowing that Shang Zhen's most wanted question was still unanswered by Song Zhe Wu. So he smiled and said: "Wen Ge, if Bai Chong Xi heard your words, he would immediately kill you to silence you. Why don't you tell us why you didn't surrender to Zhang Yin Wug and Fu Yi Sheng, but instead surrendered to our First Division? Is it just because of Gaitz?"