Chapter Nineteenth: Scheming for Ganzhou

  Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang were both busy tallying up the rich spoils of war, until March 1931, no force had yet turned its attention to Kangbao County in northern Chahar. Nor would anyone have thought that in such a poor and remote place, someone was quietly using the name of local security teams to train an elite army with a strength far exceeding that of a regular army.

  Kangbao County was not a strategic location, but a well-known poor county. Even the officials of the National Government's county government did not usually stay in the county seat, but instead went to Beiping, 350 kilometers away, to enjoy themselves. This created extremely favorable conditions for Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu to deceive their superiors and subordinates.

  The main thing is that the various departments of the original Northwest Army, after Feng Yuxiang lost power and went into exile, were divided and bought by Chiang Kai-shek, and they all set up their own doors. Sometimes, they even fought to the death for a county or a town.

  It was based on this chaotic situation that Chiang Kai-shek had not yet made preparations to reorganize the national army and redefine the numbering, so Sun Zhen's squadron did not attract attention and was able to rest and recuperate in the gap.

  Although it takes nearly 500,000 taels of silver to maintain this elite army of nearly 30,000 men every month, including military pay and daily training expenses. However, Li Ruofeng is apparently willing to do so because he knows that with this army, all the investment will have a return of more than a hundred times after conquering Xinjiang.

  Of course, there is no wall in this world that doesn't leak. Li Ruofeng also didn't expect to be able to keep it hidden forever.

  What he needs now is to find a suitable opportunity to cut into the current northwest and various lords' chaos, in order to find an excuse for advancing into Xinjiang.

  After nearly a year of integration, the living forces belonging to the Li family have been upgraded, and all are under Li Ruofeng's control.

  This opportunity came at the end of 1930, when Ma Zhongying suddenly attacked and captured Zhangye (then known as Ganzhou) in Gansu Province, and incorporated his troops into the Gansu Ningxia Qinghai United Army, with himself as commander-in-chief.

  Because Li Ruofeng had previously let Li Chengxiao keep an eye on Ma Zhongying, who was down and out in Beiping, he deliberately made friends with him, and the Sichuan Business Corporation had already gained Ma's favor, and the two sides reached a secret agreement.

  Ma Zhongying returned to Gansu, and Li Chengxiu's generous provision of military pay and weapons had a huge catalytic effect.

  After Ma Zhongying's vanguard left Beiping, Li Ruofeng telegraphed Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu to leave behind a supplementary regiment to garrison Kangbao, while the rest of the troops quickly dispersed and reassembled near Zhangjiakou.

  Logistics work is all handled by Sitong Commercial Corporation's massive transportation capacity.

  By the beginning of 1931, Ma Zhongying had taken control of all of Gansu and cleared out the remaining pockets of resistance, styling himself as the commander-in-chief of the Gansu-Ningxia-Qinghai United Army. At this time, Ma also fully demonstrated his talent, he was only 22 years old, knowing people and using them well. On the one hand, he reorganized military affairs, on the other hand, he began to recruit talents and work hard to govern.

  This time, with such a smooth comeback to the east mountain, Ma Zhongying was even more ambitious. Various demons and gods from all sides gathered in Zhangye. Many high-level intellectuals who came to hear the news and progressive young people who were persecuted by the Kuomintang or sent by ** arrived one after another, such as Yang Boqing, director of the political department of the division, Su Jishan, chief of staff, Wu Yimin, secretary; even a few foreigners from afar, such as Turkish Kemal.

  So many people of different factions and isms gathered around Ma Zhongying seems a bit ridiculous, many of those who joined Ma Zhongying had various purposes, among them his advisor and secretary-general, Zhang Yashaowho was a student in the Soviet Union.

  Zhang Yashao and Ma Zhongying were both from Gansu Province, hailing from the Yanjing Township of Zhang County. In 1922, he was admitted to the Chinese Department of Beijing Minguo University, where he became close friends with Hu Tingzhen, a fellow student at Beijing Chaoyang University who was also from Gansu's Hezhou region and had followed Li Dazhao, exerting significant influence among his peers in Beiping. Through Hu Tingzhen's introduction, Zhang Yashao joined the Communist Party of China. After graduating from Minguo University, Zhang Yashao was dispatched by the underground party organization to study at Moscow Sun Yat-sen University. When he returned to China from the Soviet Union in 1928, Beijing was in the midst of a white terror following the failure of the Great Revolution, with the underground party organization suffering repeated setbacks and Hu Tingzhen's whereabouts unknown. Zhang Yashao's name had been included on the Kuomintang's wanted list.

  Zhang Yashao went into hiding, first in Beijing's "Gansu South Building" and later in Wu Yuan, Henan. Soon after, through the introduction of Hu Tingzhen's fellow townsman Li Hanyuan, he joined Ma Hongkui's 11th Army as a political instructor in the training division. Because Li Hanyuan had a good relationship with Hu Tingzhen during his time studying in Beiping and also joined, he was familiar with Zhang Yashao. At that time, Li Hanyuan served as the chief of staff in Ma Hongkui's department.

  Ma Zhongying is now completely unaware that he is "inviting wolves into his home".

  Ganzhou, now Zhangye, was set up as a county in the Western Han Dynasty and is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province. It is an important post town on the ancient "Silk Road" entering the Hexi Corridor, and it is a key passage for economic and cultural exchanges and friendly exchanges between the Central Plains and various countries in West Asia and Eastern Europe. Zhangye has a long history, brilliant culture, beautiful mountains and rivers, simple folk customs, rich water and grass, and has been known as "Jiangnan on the border" and "Golden Zhangye".

  South pillow Kunlun Mountains, north rely on Helei Mountain, Longshou Mountain, Black River runs through the whole territory, forming a unique desert oasis landscape. The terrain is flat, the land is fertile, the forest is lush and grain-rich, and the fruit is fragrant. Snow-capped mountains, grasslands, blue waters, and deserts are intertwined, with both southern charm and northern flavor, so there is a famous phrase "Don't look at the snow on the top of Kunlun Mountains, mistakenly take Ganzhou as Jiangnan".

  For this historic city, Li Ruofeng's previous impression was limited to the Zhangye wine and Xiliugou Horse Ranch known from his past life. Now, with a deeper understanding of Zhangye, Li Ruofeng's determination to take over has grown stronger.

  Li Ruofeng has decided to build this stronghold into a forward base for future advances into Central China.

  As long as Zhangye is taken down, the Li family can get a truly meaningful base.

  However, Li Ruofeng knew that Ma Bufang of Qinghai would not allow Ma Zhongying to establish a separatist regime in Gansu and Suiyuan. Ma Bufang's ambition was great, although his base was in Qinghai, he eyed the Hexi Corridor as a treasure land, regarding it as a forbidden zone.

  In addition, Ma Bufang and Ma Zhongying were of the same clan but had always been at odds with each other. Ma Zhongying also changed his original name from Ma Buying to Zhongying because of this. It can be said that they are sworn enemies.

  At this time, the officials of the national government in Lanzhou reported to Nanjing that Ma Zhongying was separatist in Hexi and attempted to establish another central government.

  The Xining side openly accused Ma Zhongying of having been "redified", and major newspapers in the northwest, including Tianjin's Yishi Bao, carried news and articles about Ma Zhongying's "redification".

  It was at this time that public opinion pushed Ma Zhongying to the forefront, Li Ruifeng led his troops to quietly station in Zhangye.

  Ma Zhongying recruited old troops and rushed to Gansu from Liangzhou, while Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu had already led more than 300 people into Ma Zhongying's "revolutionary army".

  Ma Zhongying openly recruited soldiers and bought horses, while Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu quickly issued a gathering order.

  Ma Zhongying reacted and felt something was wrong, Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu's men had already completed their assembly in Ganzhou.

  Ma Zhongying felt it was hard to turn around when Ganzhou had been completely controlled by Sun Zhen.

  Faced with this situation, Ma Zhongying was in a dilemma. Because the total number of troops he had at his disposal at that time added up to less than 5,000 people, and they were not even fully armed, let alone equipped with heavy weapons. On the other hand, Sun Zhen's Gansu-Qinghai-Ningxia United Army Third Regiment now controlled more than 24,000 men, well-equipped with mortars, infantry guns, and field artillery, who knows how they got them through what channels.

  As for Sun Zhen having such great skills, Ma Zhongying also had a bit of admiration.

  They can't win the fight, and Sun Chen is still in command nominally. The flag they're fighting under is also that of the Gansu-Qinghai-Ningxia United Army. To say more, Sun Chen was able to pull out three or four well-equipped divisions in such a short time, he must have some hidden power backing him up. Now it's still unclear who this mysterious force is and whether they have any other tricks up their sleeve.

  Under helplessness, Ma Zhongying had to retreat to Su Prefecture, letting Gan Prefecture be handed over to Sun Zhen, making it a bridgehead for the defense of Hexi Province. Because he knew that Ma Bufang would eventually make a move on the Hexi Corridor.

  The soldiers took down Zhangye without shedding blood, which was somewhat beyond Li Ruofeng's expectations. At the same time, he also quietly raised his vigilance against Ma Zhongying in his heart.

  It seems that Ma Zhongying is also not a simple person who can be easily dealt with.

  Comprehensive intelligence gathered from Li Chengxiao about Ma Zhongying led Li Ruofeng to conclude that this Ma Zhongying cannot be compared with the Northwest's Five Horsemen at this time, and is indeed a great talent!

  The Gansu-Qinghai-Ningxia United Army Headquarters currently has eight major departments: military supplies, military law, political training, staff, military equipment, military medicine, secretary, and deputy officer. A directly affiliated instructional company was also established. The principal of the Fifth Middle School in Zhangye, Huang Wenzhong, was hired as a staff member of the headquarters. Whenever important matters arose, Huang Wenzhong would be consulted for planning and strategy. Regulations were put in place prohibiting private requisitioning of grain and fodder, and prohibiting the random conscription of able-bodied men. At the same time, the county magistrates of seven counties in Zhangye and four counties in Suzhou, as well as the directors of various bureaus in Zhangye, were appointed to form a provincial and county-level government with him at its head. These measures received high praise from the people of Zhangye.

  Ma Zhongying soon invited Zhang Yashao, Wu Yingqi, Han Yun and Zhang Liping to discuss a major move.

  After arriving in Ganzhou, Ma Zhongying established a political committee and appointed himself as the director. Zhang Yashao and Wu Yingqi were appointed as members of the committee. Wu Yingqi was appointed as the chief of staff, Zhang Yashao as the secretary-general, Bai Zili as the head of the military affairs department, Huang Jun as the director of the political department, and Yao Zhiping as the director of the general office. A military training school was also established, with Ma Zhongying as its principal, Wu Yingqi as the military instructor, and Zhang Yashao as the political director.

  The sky on the west side of the river was clear and cloudless for a while.

  Many progressive people and cadres persecuted by the Kuomintang, such as Ge Jiyun and Cai Xuecun, came to join one after another. These people advocated new trends, punished evil habits, issued leaflets, made telephone calls, held mass meetings, spread anti-Japanese and national salvation ideas, boosted morale, and lifted spirits. In just a few months, from the east of Shandan to the west of Anxi, a vast area that was once depressed and closed off presented a new look.

  Ma Zhongying obviously did not want this situation to be disrupted by his own internal strife, so he chose to retreat. Because he could see that Sun Zhen and others had a lot in common with him, they were not arrogant, did not disturb the people, had strict discipline, and were upright in their style. Moreover, they supported his political views and did not strongly oppose him like other warlords.

  In view of this, Li Ruofeng felt it was necessary to sit down and have a good talk with Ma Zhongying.

  The Dama Grassland in the Qilian Mountain area, 55 kilometers south of Xindu County, is the site of the world-famous Xindu Military Horse Farm. With lush water and grass, it covers over one million mu (about 66,667 hectares) of grassland, making it China's largest base for fine horses throughout history, as well as Asia's largest and the world's second-largest horse farm with a history dating back thousands of years.

  April's horse racing field, green grass like a carpet stretching far and wide, meeting the sky.

  Li Ruofeng took Lin Xiucui, galloping on horseback across the vast grasslands, and from time to time, the silvery bell-like pleasant laughter that came over showed that Lin Xiuer was in a very good mood at home.

  "If it's up to Brother Feng, doesn't all of this now belong to our family?" Lin Xiuer flourished her whip, pointing at the vast group of wild horses on the horizon, with a somewhat triumphant tone.

  "That's right, Sun Zhen and Zhuang Yu did a great job this time, and they will definitely be heavily rewarded when we return." Li Ruofeng easily reined in his majestic red Mongolian horse, laughing loudly: "The entire Ganzhou, belongs to me, Li Ruofeng!"

  "Ma Zhongying went to such great lengths, but he's just giving us a dowry for marriage. Can he really be at peace with that?" Lin Xiuer had followed Li Ruofeng for many years and had gained much experience, but she never thought that snatching land would be done in such a way.

  "He will definitely not be willing, but he has no choice." Li Ruofeng replied confidently: "At present, the entire northwest is empty of troops, and I have transferred troops over. Currently, in the Hexi Corridor, we are the strongest army. Ma Zhongying is a sensible person, otherwise, he would have lost Su Prefecture too! Moreover, we are now supporting him as the chairman of the Hexi Provincial Government, and he still needs us to help him weather the storm."

  "If it's up to Brother Feng, can we really defend such a large territory?" Lin Xiuer suddenly became a bit worried.

  "Look at that little achievement, can this be called great?" Li Ruofeng smiled disdainfully: "Wait until I connect Xinjiang and Gansu into one piece in the future, and add Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia, that will be a truly vast territory."

  "Are we considered warlords then?" Lin Xiuer asked with a smile.

  "This issue is a bit profound!" Li Ruofeng's gaze slowly became deeper, "Warlord, generally refers to the use of military force as political capital, with troops in their own right, occupying national land and resources, with the sole purpose of expanding territory. In other aspects of construction, there are usually few achievements. From a certain perspective, what I am doing now can also be called warlord. However, it is fundamentally different from other domestic warlords. We do not seek wealth, power, or personal pleasure. We use our own strength to build a future anti-Japanese base. Our starting point is for the entire nation and ethnicity."

  "That's also to say, you can be considered a patriotic warlord, but still a warlord." Lin Xiuer said with a tilted head and a mischievous tone.

  "You stinky little girl, are you trying all sorts of ways to scold me? Are you itching for a beating?" Li Ruofeng laughed and cursed, pretending to hit her.

  "Save me! The warlord is beating people, the warlord's head is beating people!" Lin Xiuer spurred her horse and ran away.

  "Little beauty, you can't escape from my palm." Li Ruofeng pretended to be elegant and smiled slyly as he rode his horse to chase after her.

  About 500 meters away from where Li Ruofeng and Lin Xiuer were flirting, four Hu and Biao, dressed in northwest army lieutenant uniforms, led eight cavalry guards with "Tomson" submachine guns slung over their shoulders, wearing leather bullet belts on their chests, and war knives hanging from their waists, keeping a distant watchful eye on their superiors.

  At this time, a cavalry horse came galloping quickly from the direction of Shandan County.

  Si Hu looked up with narrowed eyes and waved his hand, signaling two guards to ride over.

  Before long, a guard came galloping over with a mounted orderly.

  The messenger saluted the four tigers and Biaozi, then pulled out a document from his cowhide bag and said loudly: "Report to the superior officer, the brigade has an urgent military situation." (The garrison in Ganzhou was still using the number of the third division of Gan Ning's Green Camp)

  Si Hu took it over, tore it open and glanced at it quickly, then said: "I'll inform Young Master right away, you go back and tell your Commander Sun that Young Master will arrive soon."

  "Yes, sir!" The messenger soldier saluted and immediately turned his horse's head towards the county town.

  Si Hu held a document in one hand and led his horse with the other, then rushed towards Li Ruofeng.

  "Sir, Sun Zhen has sent someone to report that Ma Bufang's troops are preparing to attack Ganzhou."

  Li Ruofeng, who was galloping and playing with Lin Xiuer, heard the sound and quickly reined in his horse, turning its head to face the four tigers.

  Lin Xiuer knew when to be heavy or light and didn't make a fuss with Li Ruofeng anymore. She closely followed behind Li Ruofeng.

  Li Ruofeng took over the file handed over by Sihou, frowned and looked at it carefully, "Let's go! Back to the city."

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