Under Feng Yong's order, the Northeast is gathering all its forces to complete its work. Personnel, materials, logistical support, reinforcements, and replenishment were continuously sent to the battlefield. In this case, the battlefield in the Tonghua area fell into tranquility. But a dull pressure hung over the hearts of the Chinese and Japanese officers. The tranquility before the decisive battle.

Nanjing, Presidential Palace.

Duan Qirui invited Feng Guozhang over, and the two sat facing each other.

"Brother Qirui, taste the good tea I got. At this time, there are not many people! Feng Guozhang said with a smile.

"Brother Huafu is so interested, in this situation, he is still in the mood to invite me to tea, it is really kind and self-contained!" Duan Qirui said indifferently. The steady stream of news coming from the Northeast Battlefield made Beiyang's heart more and more pressure, especially after the Northeast Army completely annihilated the Japanese Sixth Brigade and captured thousands of its major general brigade commanders, the whole world knew that Northeast China really had the strength to compete with the Japanese. Add to that the endless stream of new weapons and extremely armed elite soldiers in the Northeast, as well as the nightmarish heavy artillery and rain of bullets. It can be said that what is happening in the Northeast Battlefield has far exceeded the scale of firepower in a normal war in Asia. Even if Japan captured Qingdao, which was occupied by Germany, the Japanese army at that time did not have such strong firepower. But even so, the Northeast still blocked the enemy's attack, and even completely annihilated one of the enemy's veteran elite brigades. This was something that no one could have predicted before the war.

For the destruction of the Sixth Brigade, the Northeast made a lot of propaganda, but unfortunately the Japanese side was able to hide this information. This makes the foreign media skeptical. This makes the impact of this result much lower.

"Things in the Northeast are not something that can be done in a hurry. The strength shown by the Northeast is really terrifying. From the current point of view, our Beiyang can exist thanks to the Japanese. Although many times I hate to admit it. Feng Guozhang sighed and said. The direct generals lacked a good impression of the Japanese. Compared with the Anhui system, which likes to take advantage of the situation, the performance of the direct line is more inclined to use its own strength.

"Yes! The strength of the Japanese Army is world-class, and we in Beiyang don't even have the courage to resist. But the Northeast dares, and so far it has not fallen behind. From this point of view, Feng Shaoshuai, who created this miracle, is really a god! Duan Qirui sincerely admired.

Although he is still the chief of the army of the Beiyang government, his control over the army has been greatly reduced. The power of the Anhui faction in his hands was suppressed by the government that directly controlled him, and the armistice has not only not increased in the slightest, but has also been weakened in some aspects, on the other hand, not only did Wu Peifu succeed in a large-scale expansion of the army in Henan, but even Cao Kun also gained a firm foothold in Fujian and began to meddle in Jiangxi's military affairs. In this case, Duan Qirui felt very disheartened. Their generation has experienced too many ups and downs, and this experience has helped them cope with various crises many times, but it has also severely constrained their minds, making them gradually corrupted by reality and lacking the courage to challenge authority.

"Brother Qirui, I'm very conflicted right now!" Feng Guozhang sighed and said.

Duan Qirui nodded and said, "I can understand this, I'm afraid it's not just you who are complicated in your heart now." However, from the perspective of the country and the nation, I hope that the Northeast can win, and the weakened China really needs a big victory to boost morale! "China needs a big victory, and it must be world-class, but China's strength is very weak, and a military strongman like Yuan Shikai can only choose to save the country under such pressure. Naturally, their subordinates lacked that courage even more. When World War I came, Duan Qirui carefully analyzed the strength of the warring sides and found that the war potential of the Entente led by Britain was very terrifying, and the probability of victory in the future was the greatest. In this case, if China were involved, when Britain won the final victory, China would be able to take back the sovereignty of the countries that had been ceded by the past by virtue of its status as a victorious power. This is also the reason why Duan Qirui insisted on joining the First World War despite opposition from all sides, but unfortunately, people are not as good as heaven, and the rapid rise of the Northeast made Beiyang feel unprepared. Now it has lost most of its land, and the originally unified China has become a country with two governments standing side by side. Even practically, China has been torn apart. This is something that the older generation of soldiers does not want to see. Similarly, Beiyang, as a force they have struggled for all their lives, they do not want Beiyang to fall. If Tohoku wins the war with Japan. Then the next step will definitely be to send troops south to dominate the world. It is precisely because they know this that they will be extremely entangled.

"I understand what you're saying. But the Northeast won. It indicates that our Beiyang is about to face the abyss of destruction. Think of the cause for which we fought for a double and died like this. I am very unwilling! Feng Guozhang said in a deep voice. For the sake of Beiyang, he not only took a lifetime of youthful blood, but even chose to set up another mountain when the Northeast and Beiyang went to war. No matter how high-sounding his reasons were at the time, they were still dishonorable in their means.

"Brother Huafu, judging from the current situation, if there is a quick victory, the possibility of victory for the Northeast and Japan is half of each. However, if there is a protracted war, the Northeast may not be able to resist Japan's attack, after all, Japan is a developed country with a complete industrial base. It is not comparable to the weak foundation of the Northeast. Duan Qirui said in a deep voice.

"No matter what, it's best for us to wait and see what happens, if the Northeast really loses, even if we Beiyang do our best to the last soldier, we will lead our troops north to resist the Japanese occupation. China's territory must not fall into the hands of foreigners in our hands. Feng Guozhang said firmly. This is their bottom line as military personnel.

Duan Qirui pursed his lips and was noncommittal. His current rights are severely restricted by Feng Guozhang, and he is often a symbol, a puppet to stabilize the internal relations of the Beiyang Army. If it weren't for the development of Beiyang, Duan Qirui would have waved his sleeves and left.

"The people are making a lot of noise, and the pressure on the government is not small!" Duan Qirui said. At present, there are advanced students in the entire Jiangnan region who have marched on the streets in solidarity with the anti-Japanese war in Northeast China, and there have even been large-scale fund-raising and demonstrations in various places. For these things, the Beiyang government chose to suppress them. Many of the most noisy progressive students were arrested and put in prison. This tough method made the Beiyang jurisdiction complain.

"They are all talented literati, they only know how to shout slogans, they still need soldiers to fight, and they have no strength, so they can only be sent to death!" Feng Guozhang said. As a soldier, Feng Guozhang is very optimistic about non-governmental activities, believing that they are troublemakers. War is a soldier's business, and the common people only need to work hard and produce and provide sufficient taxes for the country. It's better to put an end to those boring actions.

"Brother Huafu, I don't recommend continuing to suppress non-governmental organizations, the mouth of the people is equal to the defense of Sichuan. In the face of this situation, it is better to block than to sparse. Duan Qirui said. He deeply understands how great the pressure of the people is, when Yuan Shikai became emperor, he did not step down under the pressure of the people, and finally died a miserable death. A generation of heroes rebelled and left their relatives, and the evening was bleak.

"It's not that simple, if we don't take action, it will make the Northeast have a huge impact on the people under our rule. At that time, the common people only know the Northeast and know that the Beijing government will be a great disaster for us in Beiyang. If the Northeast really leads troops to take it in the future, it will be easy for us to have big problems internally. "Feng Guozhang is not a fool, he knows very well the truth that the embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in an anthill. That's why he wants to put an end to this kind of thing at the root.

"I heard that Cai Ye in the southwest chose to vigorously support the war of resistance in the northeast, and even prepared to send troops to the northeast to participate in the war?" Duan Qirui asked with curiosity on his face. As the army chief of the Beiyang government, although his rights have been hollowed out a lot, he still knows a lot of confidential information in the army.

"Not bad. Cai Ye is really a dead brain, doesn't he know that once the Northeast wins. Next, Feng Yong will deal with us. Compared with our Beiyang, Cai Yi's Southwest Governor's Mansion is more dangerous, surrounded by the northeast on three sides. If Feng Yong wants to deal with them, I'm afraid it won't take long to be able to enter Chengdu. The southwest is in the hands of such people, and sooner or later it will be annexed by the northeast! When it came to the southwest, Feng Guozhang was angry. In order to unite forces against the northeast, the Beiyang government in Nanjing sent an embassy to the southwest. Prepare to negotiate an alliance between the two parties. Who knew that the Governor of the Southwest, Cai Ye, didn't take their mission seriously at all. Not only did he not show up, but he even sent someone to frankly say that the southwest recognized the Beijing government and President Li Yuanhong. This made Feng Guozhang, the president of the Republic of China, very angry. It can be said that Cai's performance is a manifestation of extreme political immaturity.

Coupled with the popular movement in the southwest of China, Cai not only did not stop it, but also vigorously advocated it. After the war with Beiyang in the southwest, the people were already hard, even in this case, for the sake of the country, there was still a large amount of progress to collect donations, and in a short period of time, a large amount of donations were sent to the northeast through the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce in the southwest. At the same time, in order to show his support for the Northeast War of Resistance, Cai Ye took the initiative to withdraw the troops deployed in northern Sichuan to defend the Northeast Army. The Beijing government greatly appreciated what Cai Ye had done. President Li Yuanhong even sent a nationwide telegram to greatly appreciate Cai Yi's actions. In a telegram, Cai Ye was officially appointed as the commander of the Southwest Military Region, in charge of all military affairs in the four southwestern provinces. At the same time, he temporarily served as a patrol envoy in the southwest to sort out the livelihood of the people in the southwest.

All of this made Feng Guozhang feel a sense of madness. Cai's political naivety made the grand blueprint originally drawn by Beiyang come to naught. This also caused Feng Guozhang to be very dissatisfied with Cai Yi.

(To be continued)