With the fall of Beijing, there was panic in Beiyang, especially when I heard that even if the northeast army went south, it made all the forces in Beiyang panic.

Shandong, history.

Duan Qirui's face was very gloomy. Since he fled here, he began to organize the Beiyang army to resist the attack of the Northeast Army, but Jiang Baili led the troops too sharply. The 100,000-strong army was like an irresistible sword, quickly plunging into the heart of the Beiyang army. The Beiyang Army at the front was defeated again and again. The army had been completely withdrawn from the area around Beijing and was pressed into Shandong and southern Hebei by the northeast. The two armies in the northeast showed unimaginable strong combat effectiveness.

Zhang Zuolin's troops in Henan were very eye-catching, with 60,000 troops marching 150 kilometers in two days. Before Beiyang reacted, he captured the important town of Baoding, Hebei. Some of the slow-moving Beiyang troops were firmly blocked in the rear, and the fate of these Beiyang troops can be imagined. Now the entire northern part of Hebei has fallen into the hands of the Northeast Army. According to Zhang Zuolin's current offensive, the entire Jizhong Plain is in danger of falling. The Jizhong Plain is the most densely populated place in the Central Plains, and if the Northeast occupies this land, God knows how much of a threat it will pose.

Jiang Baili's army also advanced to Dexian County, Shandong, if it weren't for Duan Qirui's history, I'm afraid the Beiyang Army on the front line would have collapsed long ago. After all, although there are tens of thousands of Beiyang troops deployed in Dexian County, they are second-line troops drawn from various provinces to rush to Beijing, and their combat effectiveness is limited. If it weren't for Fu Liangzuo, the deputy commander of the Beiyang Army, who personally sat in Dexian County, I am afraid that these soldiers would have run away long ago. After all, the prestige of the Northeast Army is too victorious.

"Where is General Xu Shuzheng's army?" Duan Qirui said with a calm face. In just a few days, the battle situation was so eroded that Duan Qirui did not expect it at all. This result almost collapsed Duan Qirui's confidence.

"Now that they have arrived in Henan, General Xu Shuzheng asked them to go east to Shandong or north to Hebei?"

"Let him go east to Shandong. I have already handed over the war in Hebei to Wu Peifu. Duan Qirui said in a deep voice. Feng Guozhang escaped. However, he did not cancel Duan Qirui's command of the direct army. Until now, Duan Qirui has not figured out why Feng Guozhang suddenly left. But now that the north occupies erosion, for Duan Qirui, stabilizing the war situation is the first priority at present.

"Is there any news of the acting president?" Duan Qirui asked with an ugly face.

"I just received an urgent report from Nanjing. The acting president went to Nanjing. ”

"Nanjing?" Duan Qirui couldn't help frowning.

"Feng Guozhang, what are you going to do?" Duan Qirui didn't understand it very much.

"Report to the Prime Minister, Dexian County Urgent. Dexian has been broken by the Northeast Army. Deputy Minister Fu Liangzuo's army was defeated. Now the entire northwestern part of Shandong has fallen into the hands of the Northeast Army. The herald said in fear.

"What?" Duan Qirui's face turned pale.

"What about the others?" Duan Qirui asked with concern.

"The deputy commander is gathering his rout, preparing to continue to hold off the enemy. The deputy minister sent a telegram, hoping that the prime minister could go south to meet with General Xu Shuzheng's army! Then rely on the terrain in the south of Shandong to block the attack. ”

"To the south? I'm not going! Duan Qirui said firmly. Shandong is already the hinterland of Beiyang, and if Shandong is lost, then most of the foundation of Beiyang will be lost.

"Prime Minister, let's go! Go to meet with General Xu Shuzheng, and then rely on the mountains in the south of Shandong to resist the attack of the Northeast Army. This time is the most important way. Ni Sichong eagerly persuaded.

"No, if we evacuate again, the whole of Shandong will fall into the hands of the Northeast. This is absolutely not possible. Losing Shandong, our Beiyang is not far from a complete decline! Duan Qirui said with a gloomy face. Now he has regretted his evacuation from Beijing. If he held on to the city of Beijing, there would definitely not be the current trend of the Northeast sweeping the world, at least the Northeast Army would not launch an offensive on the North China Plain so quickly.

"Prime Minister!"

"Say no more! Now what we have to do is to integrate Shandong's military strength and resist the attack of the Northeast Army! Duan Qirui said with a calm face. He couldn't go back now. If Shandong is lost, the Northeast Army will be able to drive straight into Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan, and then the entire Beiyang will no longer have anything to say.

"Yes!" Looking at Duan Qirui, who was paying attention, Ni Sichong didn't dare to say anything.

"Mobilize all the troops in Shandong, and I will have a good battle with the Northeast Army in the Licheng area." Duan Qirui said. The offensive spirit of the Northeast Army must be completely defeated, otherwise, Beiyang can only face one defeat after another.

"Prime Minister, but Shandong's military strength is not concentrated, and most of them are local troops that lack combat experience. With such troops, it may be unrealistic to resist the 100,000-strong army in the northeast. ”

"Send a report to Li Chun, the overseer of Jiangsu, and Zhang Xun, the overseer of Anhui, and ask them to lead the elite troops south to block the Northeast Army!" Duan Qirui said.

Nanking!

Feng Guozhang stayed in the original presidential palace. Then quickly take over the defense of the entire Nanjing. Feng Guozhang didn't know that his behavior annoyed Zhang Xun, the overseer of Anhui.

Although Zhang Xun is also a person from Beiyang, he is a very old person in Beiyang, and he can be regarded as a talent cultivated by the orthodox Qing Dynasty. The most important thing is that Zhang Xun is a person who yearns for the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Always wanted to restore the Manchu legal system. Only because of the wave of revolution across the country. Beiyang held great power, and he Zhang Xun resisted by force, so he could only go with the flow. But in his heart, he never forgot that he was a courtier of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Originally, he thought that he would never have a chance to restore the legal system of the Manchu Qing in his life. However, Feng Guozhang's sudden arrival in Nanjing gave Zhang Xu a chance. Although Beijing has had a lot of fun in the past six months, Feng Guozhang's name as acting president is also real. If Zhang Xun controlled Feng Guozhang, it would be possible to control the entire Beiyang government, and then use the power of Beiyang to welcome the Qing Emperor back to the throne. Zhang Xun believed that as long as the Manchu emperor could ascend to the heights, the courtiers of the entire Republic of China who were eager to join the Qing Dynasty would respond en masse. When the time came to restore the rule of the Manchus, they would be the heroes of the country.

Of course, although Anhui is very close to Nanjing, Nanjing now belongs to Jiangsu. It is the territory of Li Chun, the head of the three governors of Beiyang. Although there are also many of his Zhang Xun's old departments in Jiangsu. But if you don't plan carefully, you may not be able to make a move.

Provisional Governor's Palace.

Feng Guozhang looked at the telegram in his hand with a gloomy face.

"Great President, Prime Minister's telegram?" Wang Shizhen, the head of the three heroes of Beiyang, asked.

"Not bad. Brother Qirui's telegram was very harshly worded! He asked why we betrayed Beiyang! Feng Guozhang sighed and said.

"Betrayal of the North Ocean? It would be serious for the Prime Minister to say so. Rehe and Chahar have completely fallen into the hands of the Northeast Army, and Beijing has become an isolated city strategically speaking, and as the capital of Beiyang, Beijing is no longer suitable. I know Brother Qirui's feelings for the city of Beijing, but compared to the gains and losses of a city, the future of Beiyang is more important! Wang Shizhen said in a deep voice.

"Hire Brother Qing! Things can't be said of that. We did a bit too much to leave Beijing, and Brother Qirui should have some complaints! Feng Guozhang can understand Duan Qirui's thoughts. As the nominal leader of the Beiyang government, he chose to evacuate at the most dangerous time in Beijing, which was a heavy blow to the resistance of the Beiyang Army around Beijing.

"President, compared to Brother Qirui's death, for the survival of Beiyang, we must make a regression. Besides, this central government seems to be beautiful, but the shackles he wears are too many. Feng Yong wants to be Cao Cao, we can give him a chance. But don't forget. China is nominally an independent international, but in fact it is a colony of the great powers. Such a central government would only be suppressed by the Great Powers. We Beiyang control the world, why the finances are so tight, it is not because all the customs revenue of the Republic of China is used by foreigners. Our Beiyang is subject to the Western powers everywhere. Otherwise, with the influence of our Beiyang in China. Tiny northeast and southwest are just jumping clowns. Wang Shizhen disagreed with these.

Wang Shizhen was able to overpower Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang to sit at the head of the three heroes of Beiyang, and his vision was indeed extraordinary. And he experienced the Manchu Qing and Beiyang, two weak governments trembling under the iron hooves of the great powers. Even the oppression of this country by the Western powers.

"Although your analysis is correct. However, the Beiyang government is the world that we have worked hard for half a lifetime, and it is really unbearable to give up like this. Brother Pingqing, now I need your help, we can't perish in Beiyang, and we can't ignore Brother Qirui in Shandong. What do you think we should do now? Feng Guozhang was also a little undecided for a while.

"President, the first thing we have to do is to electrify the whole country and announce the relocation of the capital. Although the loss of Beijing is likely to make us lose the righteousness of the central government. But for Beiyang, which is now panicking, there is always some fate for a government with a fraction of a second. Moreover, you are the acting president of the Beiyang government, and it is still reasonable to set up a separate central government in Nanjing. Wang Shizhen said, "That's good." I have ordered Cao Kun's troops to divide into two routes. Wu Peifu led the elite troops north to Hebei to resist Zhang Zuolin's troops in the northeast. Cao Kun led the remaining elite troops south to Nanjing. Help us set up a separate center! Feng Guozhang said in a deep voice. The reason for his escape this time is that Beiyang cannot completely resist Beijing with those forces. There is also the fact that he, Feng Guozhang, does not want to be a puppet with little real power. Although he and Duan Qirui are the robes of Beiyang and should be close to each other, Duan Qirui is a person with a strong desire for power and likes to take all the power into his own hands. Although Feng Guozhang is the president of the Republic of China, his direct strength is slightly weaker than that of the Anhui family, and he Feng Guozhang can only obey Duan Qirui's dark disk in Beiyang and become a puppet. Duan Qirui's military and political grasp is something Feng Guozhang cannot tolerate.

(To be continued)