On January 18, 1917, destined to be a day to be remembered by the Chinese, the Northeast Army severely damaged the Japanese 10th Division, causing the Japanese 10th Division to lose its combat effectiveness. This was a division-scale battle, something that no one would have believed before the war. The impact of this victory was far more than that, and the combat effectiveness displayed by the Northeast Army, which could be compared with Japan, told everyone that the destruction of the Japanese Sixth Brigade published in the Northeast was not necessarily groundless. After all, troops of division and regimental size can be severely damaged, and it is not inconceivable to completely annihilate a brigade and regiment.

A large number of influential newspapers in Northeast China, such as the Northeast Daily, Changchun Daily, and Fengtian Shibao, launched propaganda one after another, and for a time, the news that the Northeast Army had inflicted heavy losses on the 10th Division of the Japanese Army spread throughout the country at an extremely fast speed.

Beijing.

President Li Yuanhong of the Beijing Government issued a telegram to pay tribute to the heroic officers and soldiers of Northeast China. Congratulations to them on their victory against foreign invaders.

Li Yuanhong's electrification undoubtedly represents the authenticity of this victory. All forces in the country have increased their forces in the northeast in an attempt to understand the details of the battle. Foreign Embassy Area in Dongjiaomin Lane. The embassy district, which had been somewhat depressed, is bustling again. Not only have foreign ambassadors who have already left Beijing returned. The British and French ambassadors, who had already decided to leave for Nanjing, also stopped their trips one after another, ready to wait and see what happened.

They were skeptical and dismissive of the victory announced by the Chinese government in Beijing, because they were well aware of the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. Even the German ** team, known as the world's No. 1, was defeated by Japan in the Battle of Qingdao. This gave the Western powers an idea of the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. At the time of the war between Japan and Tohoku, the British and French governments had already reduced their attention to the Beijing government, after all, in their hearts, the Beijing government would definitely be defeated in this battle. With the support of Britain and France, it was not very difficult for the Beiyang government in Nanjing to re-establish the orthodox status of China. But now the outcome of the matter is obviously not according to the blueprint of Britain, France and other countries. The combat effectiveness and equipment level displayed by the Northeast Army far exceeded the expectations of Britain, France, and other countries. After all, the three eastern provinces were synonymous with desolation during the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and Japan and Russia were well aware of this. In addition, the Beijing government was born out of the northeast government, and it took more than two years from its emergence to its rise, which is very incredible.

After the news of the total annihilation of the Japanese Sixth Brigade spread, the ambassadors of the British and French Entente countries did not give a damn about it at all, believing that this was a fraudulent means adopted by the Northeast government in order to improve the morale of the troops; after all, although China is an extremely backward country with a social system and armaments, it has a history that has spread for thousands of years, and its understanding of war has risen to the level of art. From its emergence to the present, the Northeast Army has experienced no major defeat in the war, which can explain the achievements of the Chinese in the art of war.

Under the convening of Britain, France and other countries, Western countries reached a consensus. If the war between Japan and the Chinese in northeast China is lost, the Chinese will unite to support the Beiyang government in Nanjing, after all, Feng Guozhang, the head of the Beiyang government, is their old friend, and the current performance of the Beiyang government is still satisfactory to them. If the Chinese Northeast Army gets the final victory. Then they will have to unite and force the Beijing government to agree to various unequal treaties left by the previous Chinese government on the condition of supporting the unification of the whole country, and to protect the interests of Western countries in China. Of course, the interests of their rivals, the Central Powers, in China could be seen as a gift from the Entente to the newly formed Chinese government.

Naturally, the countries have no opinion on the proposal made by the British and French ambassadors. China was able to defeat Japan, and its combat effectiveness was no longer something that any one country could resist. In this case, it is very necessary to pull him as an ally. After all, the resources that a big country like China can provide for the war are simply too great. Moreover, the disdain of Britain, France and other countries for the newly established Beijing government has given the German side an advantage, and the German ambassador has been in contact with the responsible person of the Beijing government many times. It is unclear whether a secret agreement was signed between the two sides. This is absolutely intolerable to the British. Now that the war in the West was approaching the point of a turning point, the British would never allow the Allies to find strong allies in the world.

Nanking.

After Feng Guozhang saw the telegram, he was stunned for a long time, and the expression on his face was very intriguing. There seems to be relief, and there seems to be unwillingness. Premier Wang Shizhen came in a hurry. Since the old man served as the premier of the Government Council of the Beiyang Government, the whole person seems to have a second spring, and he is very active, after all, he is the first person of the three heroes of Beiyang that year, and this positive, the entire Beiyang government is well organized by him. Coming to Feng Guozhang in such a hurry is the first time since the establishment of the Beiyang government in Nanjing. Feng Guozhang naturally attaches great importance to it.

"Prime Minister, what's wrong?" Feng Guozhang asked in a sullen voice.

"President, there is now a wave of student movements everywhere, and many workers and businessmen are involved. Our government has always suppressed it, which has caused dissatisfaction among the people, and if it continues like this, I am afraid that there will be big problems! Wang Shizhen said with a worried face.

"Student movement?" Feng Guozhang's brows furrowed again. After all, he is a soldier and loves the country, but he always believes in his heart that it is a soldier's business to protect his family and defend the country, and the student's job is to study with peace of mind, learn skills and then serve the country.

"Yes, after the news spread that the Northeast Army had severely damaged the Japanese Tenth Division, the student movement became even more turbulent, and donation boxes appeared everywhere to raise military supplies for the Northeast, and even many students gave up their studies and prepared to go to the Northeast. They're going to join the army and fight. Wang Shizhen said worriedly. If things really develop like this, then Beiyang will not become a talent training base in Northeast China. You know, students are their future in Beiyang. These people with brains and courage have a great chance of becoming useful talents in Beiyang in the future, and if they go to the Northeast, not to mention whether they can join the army, the loss of talent alone will be very serious.

"Nonsense! These students don't understand anything, and they do these foolish things as soon as their brains are hot, and they pass on my orders, and schools around the country adopt closed teaching, and lock students in school for me to study hard. Politics is less involved in them. Feng Guozhang said angrily. Now he's annoyed enough. These students were still restless, which naturally made President Feng full of anger.

"President, now it's not just the students, but a lot of workers and businessmen are involved. The power of these people should not be underestimated! "The southern region is a relatively developed area of China's capital economy, especially in the southeast coastal areas and the surrounding areas of Shanghai, and the prosperity of workers and merchants far exceeds that of the north. Although Wang Shizhen does not know the specific situation, there are many patriotic businessmen who have donated a lot of money and materials to the Northeast. This is the golden age of the development of capitalism in China. The huge market in the West has led to an astonishing economic development in the coastal areas, and the new rich people have become rich. However, they did not get the status they deserved, because China's poor and weak status often caused them to suffer losses when trading with Western merchants. In this case, they desperately want the country to become strong so that they can straighten their backs and do business with Western countries.

"These people ......" Feng Guozhang also felt very troubled. These merchants had a great influence in the coastal areas. At a time when there was a serious shortage of materials in the Western market, these businessmen had dealings with some big Western businessmen with the resources in their hands, but this kind of relationship was not something that the Beiyang government wanted to offend, after all, the Beiyang government really lacked the courage to resist the Western powers.

"Pick something that has a small impact, something that's active, grab it, and beat it!" Feng Guozhang said helplessly.

"Got it! President, what do you think of the Northeast Army's heavy damage to the Japanese 10th Division? Wang Shizhen changed his words and turned the topic to the hottest event in China right now. As the prime minister of the Beiyang government in Nanjing, he certainly would not rejoice at the news like ordinary people. After all, the Northeast is still their enemy in the North Ocean. Regarding the victory of the Northeast Army, he had deep doubts in his heart, that is, whether the Northeast Army really had such a strong combat effectiveness. Originally, it was most appropriate to ask the army chief Duan Qirui for this kind of question, after all, Duan Qirui had experience in fighting with the Northeast, and his words were more credible. However, the internal form of the Beiyang government in Nanjing is still relatively serious, and the direct generals occupy all the key departments, but the Anhui generals and officials are not willing to lose, and the internal competition between the two sides is still very serious. It's just that at the top, Feng Guozhang already has absolute power. Duan Qirui's rights were basically completely hollowed out, and the defeat in the battle with the Northeast made his whole mental state much worse. In this case, of course, it was inconvenient for Wang Shizhen to consult Duan Qirui in person, so he could only come to Feng Guozhang to discuss.

"The exact situation is not very clear, but I always feel that the reports in the Northeast are somewhat untrue. The Japanese army fought very strongly, although we did not fight them, but you and I have paid attention to the situation of the Battle of Qingdao, and the Japanese battle is admired even by the Germans. There is no reason to encounter frequent defeats when encountering the Northeast Army. Could it be that the Northeast really has such combat effectiveness? Feng Guozhang was also confused. The combat effectiveness of the Northeast Army has always been a mystery, and when everyone thought they couldn't do it, the result was a big surprise. This time is no exception, against the world powers, the performance of the Northeast is still remarkable. It even gained the upper hand in a certain form. This is a rare victory in the history of China's decades of aggression and enslavement.

"President, do you say that this news is a smoke bomb deliberately released by the Northeast to fight psychological warfare. Maybe the current Northeast has reached the end of the crossbow! Wang Shizhen guessed.

(To be continued)