~Date:~October 18th~

Tianjin, Dagang Industrial Development Zone, the temporary station of the First Army of the Central Army. At this time, for the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the First Army, they no longer need to participate in "supporting local construction" as in the past, but devote themselves wholeheartedly

to military training. After all, according to the schedule, the first expeditionary force will be sent out in two weeks...

"Expedition to Europa!"

Around the temporary camp, you can see the black and white characters written on the wooden boards of the First Army everywhere. You can see them clearly from hundreds of meters away. For the Chinese, they have never heard of the foreign army's expedition to China. When will it happen?

The squadron went on an expedition to Europe, which was the territory of foreigners. Therefore, it can be said that everyone in China took this matter seriously.

Almost every few days, condolences groups from all over the country are welcomed into the temporary base. These official and private groups send various condolences to the expeditionary officers and soldiers. Perhaps those condolences are not valuable, but they are full of meaning.

It meets the expectations of the people, just like what is written on the big sign.

"Expedition to Europe and bring glory to the country!"

Yes, for China, this expedition is related to the glory of the country and the dignity of the nation. For this reason, the equipment and uniforms of the expeditionary officers and soldiers are all the most sophisticated. Take the Central Army as an example, because the officers,

The soldiers felt that the Japanese-style uniforms of the CSKA were not stylish enough, so they all replaced them with Jiangsu Army-style uniforms. Not only that, the Ministry of War also spared no expense in using woolen uniforms for autumn and winter. Those woolen military uniforms and woolen coats were not from Jiangsu.

The Army's "blend" can't be compared.

In order to "show the Europeans the style of the Chinese Army" in terms of appearance, in addition to the woolen military uniforms and deep-waisted leather boots, they even imitated the armbands of all divisions of the Jiangsu Army and recruited art professionals from the society to design expeditions.

Military armband, the final shield-shaped small embroidered shield is divided into four sections, and the armbands with the Chinese Army's five-color stars and the British and French flags respectively appear on the sleeves and shoulders of the officers and soldiers.

Even on the military camp of the expeditionary force, the same military emblem and flag are flying. For this expeditionary force, the whole country has put in good intentions and put a lot of thought into it. While the whole of China is full of expectations for the expeditionary force to Europe, the commander of the expeditionary force is also very concerned.

The official position is also of great concern throughout China. As early as the establishment of the Expeditionary Force Preparatory Office, newspapers began to speculate on the division of the expeditionary force headquarters. The director of the Expeditionary Force Preparatory Office was Xu Shuzheng, commander of the First Army, and deputy commander Xu Shuzheng.

The director of the department is Han Wu, and these two are considered famous Chinese generals. The former stormed the Japanese defense line in Lanshan and annihilated the remaining 20,000 Japanese divisions of three divisions, while the latter defended the Jiao'ao defense line in Qingdao.

The Fifth Division was besieged by 100,000 men without fear.

One is good at attacking, the other is good at defending. Now they are respectively appointed as the chief and deputy director of the Expeditionary Force Preparatory Office. Naturally, they have clearly stated the intentions of the Ministry of War. It seems that even Xu Shuzheng himself is determined to win the position of commander of the expeditionary force. If not

If anything unexpected happened, the newspaper's speculation seemed to be accurate. Even the German intelligence agency sent intelligence to the country, directly calling the two men one the commander and the other the chief of staff.

A three-story red building in the Dagang Industrial Zone is the headquarters of the First Army. At this time, the air in the commander-in-chief's office seemed extremely solemn. Although there was only one general in the room with the rank of lieutenant general on his shoulder, if

If someone enters this office, they will probably feel that the air in the room has already dropped to freezing point, and even the heating stove cannot bring the indoor temperature back up.

"Cai Songpo..."

When he uttered these three words, Xu Shuzheng's scholarly face was full of dissatisfaction, and his small eyes were filled with thick hostility.

The cooked duck will fly after all!

Xu Shuzheng, who was originally determined to win the post of commander of the expeditionary force, was thinking about how to deal with the French when news suddenly came from Beijing that the president would appoint Cai Songpo as commander of the expeditionary force. As for Xu Shuzheng, although he is still

There is no news, but the position of commander is no longer available to him.

Yuan Shikai's backstabbing didn't make him upset, but what made him even more angry was that there were only a few hours from when he got the news to when the appointment letter was issued. Apparently, there was no room for objection.

Give it to him.

"Yuan Xiangcheng!"

Xu Shuzheng, who was already full of opinions about Yuan Shikai, became even more angry. He clenched his teeth, his face turned pale, and his heart was filled with anger.

When Cai Songpo came to Beijing, Yuan Shikai wanted to push him to the position of army chief. If the old man from Beiyang didn't accept it, he might have lost his position. But now, Yuan Shikai has pushed him to the position of commander of the expeditionary force.

Above, Yuan Xiangcheng is too deceptive...

"Yan Fengcai!"

Shout out the door.

"have!"

Suddenly, a major officer appeared in the office.

"Inform the train station and I'll go to the capital!"

Going to the capital, of course he had to go to the capital. The expeditionary force headquarters was about to be established. How could he, the director of the expeditionary force preparation department, not go? But after the adjutant left, Xu Shuzheng was mumbling another name.

"Han Tianren!"

Thinking about this name, now that he, Xu Shuzheng, has become a staff officer, what else can he, Han Tianren, do? Maybe...

In the capital, Cai E, the army general who is about to take office as the commander of the expeditionary force, is crouching in front of the case, referring to the information provided by the Ministry of War and France, writing about participating in the war and formulating corresponding plans for participating in the war. At this time, the guard officer Lei Biao

Then he walked in.

Lei Biao said cautiously:

"General, there is something I have been holding back for several days. I don't know whether I should say it or not?"

Cai E stopped writing in his hand and looked at the guard who had been following him since Yunnan:

"you say."

"General, as we all know, Yuan Shikai organized and trained the troops to participate in the war in order to take full power to the central government. Li Zhiyuan is fully cooperating. First Hunan, then Jiangxi, then Zhejiang, and now each province has agreed to send troops to participate in the war.

, you become the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force. It seems that you have military power, but there is Yuan Shikai's ambition on the outside and Xu Youzheng's hostility on the inside. In the end, isn't it Yuan Shikai who will benefit from it?"

The attendant's words only made Cai E smile slightly, and then he said it very seriously.

"What I command is a squadron. As long as Yuan Shikai is still the president, it is not against common sense for this army to be loyal to him."

In Cai E's mind, his views on national defense have always been simple. What he wanted to establish was a national army that was truly loyal to the country, rather than a private army that only knew generals since the late Qing Dynasty. For today's China

In other words, establishing a national army may be an indispensable link for China to become prosperous and strong.

"But if this army becomes Yuan Shikai's private army, it will really not be a blessing to China..."

After a moment of silence, Cai E said earnestly:

"Lei Biao, our soldiers will not intervene in political disputes and the "civilian rebellion". This is the reason why I support the central government. The purpose of soldiers is to be loyal to the country. For China, if China wants to no longer be bullied by foreign powers, it must

To have a strong army, we must have the Beiyang Army, Jiangsu Army, and Local Army, which can not only become Yuan Shikai's, but also become China's."

Cai E has always been full of expectations for going to Europe to participate in the war. In his view, the expedition to Europe is a good opportunity to integrate China's central and local armed forces. This opportunity does not require the Chinese people to pay the price of the civil war. The expedition to Europe, middle and lower-level officers

They can directly come into contact with the most advanced military technology, weapons and tactics in Europe, and they can also come into contact with their European counterparts. Through those European counterparts, they can realize the importance of building a national army, and at the same time fully understand what the responsibilities of soldiers are, and integrate them on the battlefield.

At the same time, these troops may be able to pave the way for the establishment of the Republic of China.

Although what the general said was reasonable, Lei Biao still expressed his worries:

"My subordinates know that you are determined to reform the Beiyang Army and the local army, but I am afraid that your efforts will not be appreciated."

Cai E was slightly startled by his subordinate's words, and then Weiran let out a long sigh:

"Reform is easier said than done. But doing it is better than not doing it. Maybe they don't understand it now. But when they get to Europe in the future, they may slowly understand the importance to the country of a national army that is independent of politics!

If a country wants to be strong and prosperous, it must establish a national army!”

At this time, Cai E did not know that he would face more difficulties than he imagined. At least, before he took office, some people were thinking of giving him a blow.

On the day Cai E was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Xu Shuzheng, director of the "Expeditionary Force Preparatory Office" and commander of the First Army in Tianjin, returned to the capital in a grand manner. His friends and former troops also

He created a great publicity for him and ran to Qianmen Station to greet him. Under the spotlight of reporters, he was sent to his house in Tieshizi Hutong and a banquet was held to welcome him with great fanfare.

On this day, Xu Shuzheng looked very energetic. Although the city of Beijing was covered with ice and snow and the weather was cold, he did not wear a coat, only a military uniform. He wore no other medals on the military uniform, only a "Jiaoao" medal.

"Incident Memorial Medal", any soldier who participated in the defensive operations of the "Jiao'ao Incident" will receive this medal, and his purpose of doing so is obviously to show the outside world his contribution to the country.

Wearing a military cap, his rosy square face looked particularly handsome. He smiled and greeted all the soldiers, politicians and reporters. For a while, the atmosphere at Qianmen Station seemed very warm, as if he was a general returning from an expedition in triumph.

And he did this in such a big way to convey a signal in the capital, to let everyone in the government and the public know that "Xu Shuzheng is back! And he is back in high spirits!" As for what he came back to do, I am afraid that the government and the government are most concerned about it.

of.

"General Xu, what do you think of General Xu's appointment of General Cai as the commander of the expeditionary force by the President?"

"Yes, I wonder if General Xu is dissatisfied with this..."

The reporters did not show any mercy to General Xu. Instead, when he got off the train, they asked him straight to the point of the question, which was also the matter of greatest concern to the outside world.

Surprisingly, Xu Shuzheng did not show anger, but instead said with a smile.

"The President appointed Mr. Songpa as the commander. Naturally, he had his own considerations. As a national soldier, he should obey military orders..."

His answer also exceeded the expectations of the outside world. In the eyes of the outside world, when had this "Swinging Fan Military Advisor" ever been so humble? Not only the reporters were surprised, but even his subordinates and friends were also surprised. As we all know, this

Xu Youzheng was famous for his disdainful eyes. Everyone was thinking that after he returned to Beijing, he might face Cai Songpo head-on. But who would have thought that Xu Youzheng could actually say such "submissive" words.

"...The expedition to Europe is something our country has never done in a hundred years. It is related to our country's national destiny in the next few decades. There must be no room for error. Shu Zheng is determined to fully cooperate with Mr. Songpa to live up to the trust of the people and to live up to the honor of the Chinese people.

!”

Although his words were very humble and changed from his previous arrogance, some people still tasted the taste in his words. The taste couldn't be simpler. He never called Cai E in the general's mansion from the beginning to the end.

The first-ranked "General Zhaowei" is called "General", but directly called "Mr. Songpa". Obviously, he is not regarded as a soldier at all, at least not as a member of the expeditionary force.

"I don't know if General Xu thinks General Han of Jiangsu should have any position..."

Another reporter among the reporters asked an extremely pointed question, but this reporter asked the question very cleverly. He did not ask Xu Shuji himself, but directly asked another reporter. The other person's position has not been announced yet like him.

According to previous outside speculation, Han Wu was the chief of staff of the expeditionary force, but now this position has become a mystery because the two of them have not yet determined their positions. Asking this question will naturally reveal some of Xu Shuzheng's thoughts.

Come.
To be continued...