Chapter 169: Development of Northeast

On the 22nd, early in the morning, Yang Du reported the good news to Ye Zhikui.

"Major, Feng Guozhang's troops won another great victory in the three surnames last night."

Ye Zhikui said lightly while exercising his body: "Is that true?"

"Master Marshal, it's a great victory. Why don't you have any expression of happiness?"

There are two of the three Beiyang heroes there. With the most elite soldiers in China, victory is the right one, and defeat is incompetent. If you can’t win, I’m afraid Ye Zhikui will not blame Feng Guozhang and the others. They will also pull a rope and hang it and buy a piece of tofu and kill it.

"Nothing fuss! What's the loss?" Ye Zhikui twisted a bucket of water with one hand and repeatedly lifted it up and down.

Yang Du replied: "There were about 200 soldiers injured or killed."

"What kind of victory can more than 200 casualties achieve?" Ye Zhikui curled his lips indifferently.

Yang Du smiled and said, "Master Marshal, you are wrong this time. This battle annihilated 17,000 enemies and captured 6,000 Russian troops. He achieved the greatest victory since the battle."

With a click, the bucket fell from Ye Zhikui's hand, splashing his clothes, but he didn't care.

"The loss is 200, and the enemy is killed 17,000. Feng Guozhang won't be reporting false achievements, but this is too outrageous. I will never forgive him."

Yang Du was so amused that he had to hand over the battle report and personally read it to Ye Zhikui.

After watching it, Ye Zhikui finally understood what was going on and couldn't help but say with emotion: "I didn't expect that a few people would conspire to perform this big drama."

Thinking that Feng Guozhang and others were not without the intention of seeking credit in the battle report, they joked that the great marshal Ye Zhikui went to the front line to reward them. Needless to say, Feng Guozhang and others must have been stimulated by Jiang Zikang and others' victory.

After all, their deeds were hyped up by the military government some time ago. Jiang Zikang, Song Desheng, Bao Guiqing, Ma Yukun and others were all portrayed as anti-Russian heroes and the soul of the nation.

It is a good thing not to admit defeat, but the reward is really a bit troubled by Ye Zhikui.

To win by surprise, one cannot be two, and it is not advisable to be widely publicized. Maybe this strategy will be useful in the future. If it is promoted and the Russians know it, how can they insult him again in the future?

But it cannot cool the hearts of the soldiers on the front line. Do you really have to go to the front line to reward them personally, as Feng Guozhang said? But this is basically impossible.

When they arrived at the Summer Palace, all the staff ministers had already received the news. While they were happy, they also happily congratulated Ye Zhikui, because this army was the direct line among Ye Zhikui's direct line.

The ministers of the General Staff have no doubt that China will eventually win in this war, because everything has developed in the established direction, and the rear troops are constantly being transferred to the three northeastern provinces. Now it is only a matter of time and how much it will lose.

"Old Zhou, how is the recruitment of new recruits going forward now?" Ye Zhikui asked the veteran general Zhou Dingchen, who was in charge of recruitment.

Zhou Dingchen brushed his beard and replied with a smile: "Don't worry, Grand Marshal, the military government's plan for 200,000 new recruits has been completed halfway, and local offices have sent people to lead these new recruits to move into the new recruit training offices in various places in Zhili."

Ye Zhikui sighed and said, "We will send them to the battlefield after training for a few months or two. I don't know if it's right or wrong."

The butcher advised: "The Grand Marshal should not be kind to women. There is no way to do this. I don't know when this war will end. The Russian army is the same as us. There are also many untrained farmers who take guns and go directly to the battlefield."

Xu Shichang was in charge of food, salary, firearms and logistics during this period, and couldn't help but say the difficulties: "The Grand Marshal, the people of all ethnic groups in the Northeast support the resistance to Russia. He carried the carriages, donkey carriages and ox carriages together to transport supplies for our defense forces. But as Brother Tu said, I don't know when this war will end. Once the weather turns cold, transportation will become difficult. The Grand Marshal should prepare for the future."

"How many troops are there in the Northeast now?" Ye Zhikui thought about it and asked.

Wang Shizhen looked at the records and replied: "Including the 50,000 people transferred to the northeast by the National Defense Forces not long ago, the total force has reached 150,000, slightly more than the number of Russian troops. It is summer now. Once it enters the east, the supplies of 150,000 people are really a considerable expense."

Due to the war, the northeastern provinces had to start to become lively, and a large number of people with various reasons rushed to Guandong. In addition, the military government's policies were not like the Qing government at that time, and they were strictly guarded and did not allow Han people to enter the pass on the surface. Although the military government did not encourage it clearly, there was no dissuasion.

Ye Zhikui thought for a while and felt that now should be a great time to develop the Northeast. Using the convenience of war, we can concentrate the whole country's efforts and help the area around the corner of the car.

The recruitment of new recruits was smooth, on the one hand, the patriotism of the Chinese people was ignited, and on the other hand, it was because the military government paid a lot of money. After so many wars, there were many displaced people. In order to support their families, the easiest and fastest way was to join the army.

Ye Zhikui doesn't want to be a place for idle people in the army. Moreover, because of the patrol, the role of the army is only one, which is to resist foreign humiliation. However, it is impossible for foreign countries to invade every year. Besides, even if there are great powers to invade, it is impossible for the soldiers from all over the country to go all out. So what should we do if the army that does not go to the battlefield to train?

If we are linked to the development of the three northeastern provinces, isn’t this the self-reliance and military reclamation movement in later generations? The three northeastern provinces are rich and sparsely populated, and are still an undeveloped area. Once developed, it will be more than enough to supply the military and civilians in the Northeast.

Seeing Ye Zhikui thinking deeply, others dared not disturb him, and they were all thinking about countermeasures.

"I want to set up a provincial office in the three northeastern provinces, establish a one-person responsibility system for the governor, implement the new Northeast policy, and entrust all the political affairs that the three provinces should handle, and all the subordinate departments will work together with the governor." Ye Zhikui said slowly.

Everyone was shocked. Although they lacked military power, they would be the governor of the three northeastern provinces.

Ye Zhikui longed for it and said: "It is of great importance. This person not only needs to have experience in implementing the new policy, but also has a certain prestige and can suppress the scene in the Northeast. I hope that in two years, I can take advantage of the train to travel around the Northeast and see thousands of hectares of fertile land, cattle and sheep everywhere, shops and a thriving image."

As soon as Ye Zhikui said this, everyone else took a breath. Grand Marshal, you are joking.

Knowing what the ministers were thinking. Ye Zhikui also said: "In the future, the financial and material resources of the military government will be tilted towards the three eastern provinces. Moreover, the army stationed in the three provinces will open up vigorous military camps and relied on their own, resolved worries and reclaimed wasteland and developed the Northeast. It can be self-sufficient in two years, surplus in three years, and a large climate in five years. It is really a major event that benefits the country and the people."

Reclaiming wasteland in the Northeast will not only not disrupt the original land order, but will also carry forward the spirit of hard work and perseverance, sharpen the will of soldiers. Reclaiming military garrisons can also drive the development of other handicrafts and light industries, mobilize the motivation of soldiers and logistics troops, and expand creation and production from all aspects.

Therefore, Ye Zhikui explained that everyone no longer thought it was a fool.

Wang Shizhen thought for a while and said, "If you want to have experience in implementing the new policy, there are governors from Hunan, Hubei and Shanxi, but their prestige is slightly inferior. If you don't leave a province, you may not be qualified to suppress officials from the three eastern provinces."

Ye Zhikui asked: "Isn't anyone in our military government able to take on this great task? Bu Wu, do you have confidence?"

Xu Shichang was sweating all the time and waved his hand quickly, saying, "Master Marshal, his subordinates have little political experience, and I am afraid they can't take on this great task."

What he said was the truth, but Ye Zhikui thought that the Northeast developed slowly in the cracks between Japan and Russia after Xu Shichang was appointed governor of the three eastern provinces. However, now it is not as good as later generations. After all, Xu Shichang has been in politics for many years, served as a minister of the court, and has become a general in his work. Now Xu Shichang has no confidence in himself.

Forget it, think about other candidates.

It's good to look at Wang Shizhen, but I can't live without him.

Could it be that there is no governor of the three eastern provinces in the whole world? Ye Zhikui was very depressed.

"The Grand Marshal, there are actually two more people." Wang Shizhen saw Ye Zhikui in a dilemma, so he had to say carefully.

"Pinqing, come on."

Wang Shizhen glanced around and said slowly: "Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi."

Ye Zhikui frowned and replied, "I'm afraid these two people won't agree easily."

Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi were beaten several times by themselves and were unable to fight back. Of course, they were a little angry. Moreover, the governors of the three eastern provinces did not have much more power than the governors of Huguang and Liangjiang, and they also had less military power.

Xu Shichang advised: "Why don't the Grand Marshal try it? It may not be possible to be able to speak. Once the matter in the Northeast is done, it will benefit the country and the people, be famous for the ages and be remembered for generations. I don't believe that the two of them can be let go."

"Then let's try Zhang Zhidong's words first." Zhang Zhidong was still an old angry young man after all. He used the national justice to inspire him, which might be useful.

On that day, a telegram that Ye Zhikui personally thought was sent to the Governor's Office of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong.

Ye Zhikui was not afraid of being numb. He first listed Zhang Zhidong's political achievements over the years and expressed his admiration for him in handling the Westernization Affairs and the New Policy.

Zhang Zhidong turned three pages in a row, but he was still flattering: the boy's admiration for Zhang Xiangshuai was like the surging river, continuous, and like the flood of the Yellow River, it was out of control.

Zhang Zhidong's old face was slightly red, and the hero cherished the hero. Ye Zhikui still had some vision, no wonder he could move into the Forbidden City.

When we reached the fourth page, the pen tip finally changed. We first talked about how the current situation in the three eastern provinces is corrupt. There are bandits everywhere and refugees everywhere. It is like heaven and earth are tragic, and the sun and moon are gone.

Then he said that the military government would set up one province in three provinces and entrust all the affairs of the three provinces to one person. However, there is no talent in the court. After thinking about it, only you, Zhang Xiangshuai, can take on this great task in the world.

Zhang Zhidong could feel Ye Zhikui's earnest tone and urgent mood literally.

After reading it, he was silent and sighed. Ye Zhikui's heart was not like he was pretending to be a fraud. Besides, if it could really be like Ye Zhikui's telegram, the development of the three provinces with the strength of the whole country would be very touching.

Go or not? It's a difficult problem.
Chapter completed!