Nanjing, New Beiyang Government Assembly Hall.

Almost all the high-level officials of the Beiyang government were present. This is the first high-level gathering since the establishment of the new Beiyang government in Nanjing. Of course, there were very few people who really had the weight to speak at the conference. After all, the internal hierarchy of Beiyang is also very strict.

The biggest feature of this conference is that there are many young faces in the participants, and the birth of the Northeast Feng Shaoshuai makes the world no longer dare to underestimate the people. Old forces like Beiyang have also begun to pay attention to the ability of the younger generation, especially after leaving Beijing, Feng Guozhang, who has no qualifications and no ability in the former Beiyang government. After coming to Nanjing and building the structure of the New Beiyang Government, Feng Guozhang also began to reuse some young people and continued to promote young officials. Of course, it is impossible to raise a hairy boy in his early twenties to such a high position as a brigade commander, division commander, or even a provincial governor like the Northeast. But there are still far more young people than ever who are eligible to attend the conference.

There is another surprising thing about this conference, that is, there is a middle-aged man in his thirties sitting in the position of the third person, and the middle-aged man has a calm temperament. He sat straight and had a military bearing.

It is Wang Shizhen, the premier of the new Beiyang government, who is full of kindness, and the most central is naturally Feng Guozhang, the president of the new Beiyang government. Feng Guozhang's face is not as good-looking as Wang Shizhen, Wang Shizhen has long since ceased to be in charge of the army, and he has become a complete politician. The biggest difference between politicians and military personnel is that politicians should be happy and angry, while military men should be bold and resolute. Therefore, after hearing the news that Duan Qirui was soft, his face was not good-looking.

"I believe that the situation in Shandong is clear to everyone! The specific details do not need to be recounted by the president. Our Beiyang in Shandong is a complete failure, not only a military failure, but also a political one. The government in Beijing is in a standoff with us. Now that the Beijing Government has delivered the news that their envoys have set out from Beijing and will arrive in Nanjing in a few days, they will certainly take the opportunity to swear the sovereignty of the Beijing Government. Feng Guozhang said.

"Great President, no matter what! We were established earlier than the government in Beijing, and our position in the hearts of the people of the whole country is important. As for the envoys in Beijing, we don't have to pay attention to them! Lu Zhengxiang, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said loudly.

Because of the 21 articles thrown out by Japan during the Yuan Shikai period, Lu Zhengxiang was criticized a lot, but his diplomatic skills are obvious to all. Therefore, after the establishment of the New Beiyang Government, Lu Zhengxiang was also invited by Feng Guozhang to serve as the Foreign Minister of the New Beiyang Government.

"It's not that easy, without military deterrence, we don't have the slightest advantage over Beijing. We can only suffer if we resist and suffer! Feng Guozhang said in a deep voice.

"President, we still have hundreds of thousands of troops in Beiyang, and there are several prosperous and rich Central Plains provinces. We still have an advantage in terms of population release, and even if we lose on the battlefield for a while, it will not change the reality that our overall strength is not inferior to that of the Northeast. There is no need to give in to them. Another senior Beiyang official said.

Feng Guozhang shook his head imperceptibly, then turned his head and said to the middle-aged man sitting next to his right hand.

"Hyo-joon, what do you think?"

"Hyo-joon?" The high-level officials of Beiyang were a little stunned one by one, and they all thought about the identity of this middle-aged man.

"In terms of strength, the current Beiyang is indeed inferior to the Northeast, and it can even be said that the two of us are not on the same level at all. But there is hope for Beiyang to rise again. Now the situation in the Northeast is even worse than ours. From the fact that they ended the southward campaign in such a hurry, it can be seen that the situation in the northeast is not optimistic. The middle-aged man said indifferently.

"Are you saying that the relationship between the Northeast and the Japanese has reached a point where tension is at a point where war may start at any time?" Feng Guozhang asked.

"It's a big possibility! As we all know, due to the strength of Major Marshal Feng in Northeast China, he formed a bond with the Japanese and Korean troops when he occupied the three eastern provinces, and when he stabilized the three eastern provinces, Major Marshal Feng expelled the Japanese without any taboos, attacked the forces that Japan had cultivated in Northeast China, and even played a ruthless trick on the Japanese in the construction of railways. This puts tension between the two parties. However, at that time, Japan was under the control of Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma, and the conflict did not turn into a full-scale war. But the seeds of hatred have been planted, and now that Shigenobu Okuma has been assassinated, the Japanese governor of Korea, Terauchi Masatsuki, has succeeded in ruling the Japanese Empire with rocket-like speed. This sent a very clear message to the world, and the coming to power of the military government was a sign that the time for war in Japan was not far off. The most likely Japanese troop is to be in the northeast, which borders the Korean colony. Even I can make a bold guess now that there have been small-scale armed clashes on the border between China and North Korea. The middle-aged man talked eloquently. The entire Hall was silent. The crowd listened quietly to him. As for how many people believe, only God knows.

"Zhang Xiaozhun? He is Zhang Xiaozhun, one of the three heroes of Chinese non-commissioned officers! An official whispered. And spread throughout the hall as fast as possible.

Zhang Xiaozhun may not be famous, but the Chinese non-commissioned officer Sanjie is definitely very famous. After all, Jiang Baili and Cai Ye among the three heroes are the most famous figures in the Republic of China.

Cai Ye is in charge of the four southwestern provinces, with more than 100,000 elites under his command. As the deputy commander of the Northeast Army, Jiang Baili led hundreds of thousands of troops to defeat the entire Beiyang system, which made the reputation of the two people skyrocketing. Compared with the infinite scenery of these two people, Zhang Xiaozhun is much worse, not to mention that he is unknown. It's just that no one expected that he would suddenly appear here. and sat in such a high position all of a sudden.

After confirming his identity, if there were still people who scoffed at his words before, but now they firmly believe it. After all, it will not be a man who can be called a demon like Jiang Baili and Cai Yi.

"Xiaozhun, listen to what you mean, we Beiyang don't seem to need to pay special attention to the envoy of the Beijing government this time?" Wang Shizhen said. The original Wang Shizhen was a staunch Beiyang internal faction and a representative of the conservative faction. But since the defeat in Beijing, his thinking has changed a lot. Otherwise, Zhang Xiaozhun, who is relatively young and not a native of Beiyang, would not be qualified to enter this venue at all, and still be in this prominent position.

"From a purely military point of view, the strength of Beiyang is not as good as that of the Northeast, but the Northeast is not capable of continuing to deal with us. Until the confrontation between the Northeast and Japan comes to an end, our Beiyang is safe. And this period of time is the hope of whether our Beiyang can rise again! Zhang Xiaozhun said in a deep voice.

"What do you suggest?" Feng Guozhang said with burning eyes.

"Integrate the original army, abolish the right of the local overseer to support the army, integrate all the armies into one, and establish a unified military command structure. At the same time, the new army is trained according to the latest infantry drill code! Zhang Xiaozhun said in a deep voice.

"Another training of the new army? How can we have the financial support to train the new army on a large scale now! An official said dissatisfied. To tell the truth, the entire Beiyang system is very sensitive to the rhetoric of organizing and training the new army, after all, the reason why Yuan Shikai was able to have such brilliant achievements was precisely because he was responsible for organizing and training the new army on the basis of Li Hongzhang's old Beiyang. On the basis of integrating the original troops, it is necessary to organize and train a new army, which naturally makes people suspicious of Zhang Xiaozhun's purpose.

"Not only to integrate the original troops and train the new army, but also to establish a perfect military service system as much as possible! Without a complete military service system, the question of the source of follow-up soldiers will never meet the requirements! Zhang Xiaozhun was not moved at all, he only analyzed it from the perspective of a soldier, and did not involve the slightest political aspect. As for whether the crowd accepted it or not, he didn't care at all.

"It's too big. The removal of the local overseers alone is not something that can be done simply. Wang Shizhen shook his head and said. This is simply cutting Tibet! If you don't do it, it will make the entire Beiyang people betray their relatives and leave.

"Putting aside the matter of integrating the troops for the time being, the formation and training of the new army is somewhat imminent. Our new government carries the hope of Beiyang, and we must not let the banner of Beiyang fall in our hands. Xiaozhun, I now appoint you as the commander of the new army's training, and all recruit training plans are decided by you alone! Feng Guozhang said in a deep voice.

"President......" said an official affiliated with the new government's Ministry of Finance.

"Say no more. I've made up my mind! Prime Minister, we need your support in this regard! Feng Guozhang said to Wang Shizhen. Wang Shizhen, as the prime minister of the government and the number two person in the new amplitude, could not have carried out a lot of work without his cooperation.

"Don't worry, President! This matter is related to the future of Beiyang, and I will not relax! Wang Shizhen did not hesitate at all. From this posture, everyone came back to their senses. It seems that the two bigwigs must have communicated privately about this matter, and this conference is just to correct Zhang Xiaozhun's name!

"Also, although Chief Duan lost the war, his unremitting resistance bought time for the establishment of our new government. When Chief Duan comes to Nanjing, I should personally greet him! Feng Guozhang said.

Everyone nodded, after all, although Duan Qirui was embarrassed by the Northeast and suffered heavy losses in his hands, the power of the Anhui system in the whole country still cannot be underestimated, and Xu Shuzheng's 70,000 elites alone are worthy of Feng Guozhang's attention. The current new Beiyang government is in a difficult situation both internally and externally, and any force is worthy of attention.

As the news of Duan Qirui's signing of the armistice agreement spread throughout the country, the Republic of China ushered in a dawn of peace. The nation's major newspapers actively broadcast this hard-won peace. In contrast to the activity of newspapers and civil society, the major forces have always been dull, have not made any remarks on this matter, and seem to have acquiesced in all this!

(To be continued)