Black Flag Army

In the office, Di Xiong listened to Leng Hanbing's description of Bian Zhimei's situation and shook his head, saying, "This reason is a bit far-fetched. Then what about Ma Tiehan? He is a capable general whom you highly praised. He almost became the captain. Is he also suspicious?"

Leng Hanbing said, "Ma Tiehan used to be in the Qinglong Society, and was highly valued by the vice president Guan Xue. Recently, Mei Xiang, one of Guan Xue's subordinates, secretly contacted him. My inspector Gu Xingzhi saw it with his own eyes. Although I admire him, I still have to investigate any suspicious points."

Gu Xingzhi's original name was Gu Damei. She was a bonded laborer at the East Asia Textile Factory. Later, she fled to the Weili Textile Factory in Nankou Town to work. The contractor went to Weili Company to collect debts. Di Xiong paid off her debts, but only paid back the principal. The usurious interest was not paid. The contractor brought two bodyguards to make trouble in the office and smashed the flower pots in the hall. Wang Shitou and Zhang Kuwa beat the three people to the ground, beat them up and drove them away. After Gu Damei was selected by Leng Hanbing to join the Supervision Department, she thought the name Gu Damei was too ugly, so she wrote to Di Xiong and asked Di Xiong to rename her. Di Xiong named her Gu Xingzhi.

There were many indentured workers like Gu Xingzhi who escaped to Weili Company.

Di Xiong asked again: "This is the first time I've heard the name Qu Sheng. Is there anything suspicious about this guy? You'd better not frame someone up." Di Xiong remembered the anti-counterrevolutionary campaign of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Red Army in history. Zhang Fengye, secretary of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Branch, massacred more than 9,000 Red Army soldiers in the name of catching spies. Even famous generals like Xu Jishen and Zhou Weixiong were unjustly killed. At that time, there were only more than 40,000 Red Army soldiers in the base area.

Leng Hanbing said, "Qu Sheng used to be a supervisor at Fengji Textile Factory. When we took over the textile factory, we kept him because he was an old employee and had a quick mind. Three days ago, when Di Fu went to Yanshan Town to purchase goods, he accidentally saw Qu Sheng talking with Kawashima Koji in Yanshan Teahouse. Isn't this suspicious?"

After the ironware factory opened, Di Xiong moved his family to Nankou Town and bought a three-story house in the town, where he, Bai Xiuling and Di Fu lived alone. He and Bai Xiuling were busy with company affairs and could not take care of the family. Considering Di Fu's age, they hired a maid to take care of shopping, cooking and washing at home, and Di Fu became an idle housekeeper. Di Fu was a man who could not sit still, so he brought his wife and children from the countryside to him and opened a grocery store on the street of Nankou Town with his wife. The business was good, and he had to go to Yanshan Town to purchase goods every month.

Di Fu was not an inspector or informant of the Supervision Department. He took the initiative to report to Leng Hanbing out of his loyalty to Di Xiong.

Since Weili Company opened in Nankou Town, it has set up factories one after another, attracting a large number of people looking for work. The population of Nankou Town has increased rapidly, from less than a thousand to more than five thousand in just a few months. After Di Xiong made a major change in the patrol camp, the refugees who had been bullied by soldiers and bandits felt safe in Nankou Town, and more people moved in. Many savvy businessmen came to Nankou Town to open stores, and the economy of Nankou Town began to prosper.

Di Xiong asked, "How are you going to deal with these three people?"

Leng Hanbing said, "Catch them all and interrogate them strictly. The eight sets of torture instruments from the Supervision Department have been bought for more than a month, and they haven't been used once!"

Di Xiong laughed and said, "This is too harsh. At least one of these three people is innocent. Let's do this! Qu Sheng is indeed suspicious and can be closely monitored. If there is evidence of collaborating with the enemy, arrest him immediately. Ma Tiehan and Bian Zhimei can be questioned directly."

Di Xiong received a letter from Wu Chunlei, saying that Captain Feng invited Di Xiong to the Ordnance Bureau camp to ask for something. Di Xiong thought, "Feng Jishan probably wants to borrow money again."

In the Lingyuan Village of Sanjiadian, there is a large tomb mound connected to a small hill, which is covered with dense white birch trees. Feng Jishan was standing on the hill at this time, watching the soldiers training below the hill, with a trace of sadness on his face.

Di Xiong stood behind Feng Jishan and asked, "Brother, why did you ask me to come here?"

Feng Jishan said, "Brother Di! You are the brother-in-law of Brother Jin Ming. Have you heard of the three cavalry units of the Twenty Towns?"

Di Xiong said, "Of course I know. They are Zhang Zhijiang, Zhang Shusheng and Zhang Zhenyang. They were all officers of the Twentieth Regiment Cavalry. When my eldest brother founded the anti-Qing organization Wuxue Society in Luanzhou, they all joined. They are the backbone of your men."

Feng Jishan was surprised, then smiled bitterly and said, "You actually know all these things? You know a lot. Sometimes I even wonder if you are President Yuan's spy."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "Brother, you worry too much. If I were a spy, I would not be fired by the police station, and you would not continue to be the battalion commander."

Feng Jishan said, "The 20th Regiment has been reorganized into the 20th Division. Because the three Zhangs of the cavalry had an old grudge with the new division commander, they were dismissed during this reorganization. They planned to go to Suiyuan to join their old boss, General Zhang Shaozeng. General Zhang can be said to be the most patriotic general in the Beiyang Army. Three days ago, they came here to ask for my opinion. Of course, I agreed with both hands and kindly let them stay in the camp for one night. Who knew that they were suddenly attacked by the Sun Fengzi bandits that night? Unfortunately, Zhang Zhenyang was hit by a cannon and was seriously injured. Although the hospital tried its best to rescue him, he still lost a leg. He can no longer go to Suiyuan, and even his future life has become a problem, so I would like to ask you, the boss, to find him a job in the company, such as guarding the gate. He is still capable of doing it."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "This is a small matter, but guarding the gate is a waste of talent. I want him to be an instructor in the patrol camp of Nankou Town. His missing leg is not a problem. He can just wear a prosthesis and walk with a limp, but otherwise he will be no different from a normal person."

Di Xiong considered that a cavalry would be needed to recover the Mongolian grasslands in the future, and Zhang Zhenyang, who was born as a cavalry officer, was undoubtedly a suitable commander. Of course, it would be even better if Zhang Zhijiang could be pulled over, because this guy was one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Northwest Army! In real history, after leaving Feng Jishan's station, Zhang Zhenyang defected to Zhang Shaozeng in Suiyuan, and soon died in the battle against the Mongolian rebels in the Tokto Defense War, so he was far less famous in history than Zhang Zhijiang. Now because of the appearance of Di Xiong, Sun Fengzi attacked the Ordnance Bureau, causing him to lose a leg, but he could not go to Suiyuan, but he saved his life.

Feng Jishan's frown suddenly relaxed, and he said, "Thank you so much. Zhang Zhenyang is a very capable and good brother. I, as the eldest brother, feel relieved that he can have a better future. How much do I owe you now? Because I won a victory over the bandits recently, I was commended and rewarded by the Army General Staff and General Lu, and the military pay I owed was also paid. I can settle the previous accounts now."

Di Xiong said, "About eight hundred dollars, let's say eight hundred dollars." After owing one hundred and seventy dollars the first time, Di Xiong delivered supplies several more times and received IOUs each time.

Feng Jishan said, "How can I let you suffer a loss? More than 800 yuan plus interest, let's call it 900 yuan. I'll ask the quartermaster Song Zhongliang to give you the money later."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "I am a businessman, so of course I hope to have as much money as possible. Since big brother insists on giving it to me, I will accept it without hesitation. I will give it to you when you need it in the future. I heard that big brother is going to be the head of the regiment, so I should congratulate you. I heard that my brother Wu Chunlei has also become a second lieutenant platoon leader, so I thank you for promoting him."

Feng Jishan smiled bitterly and said, "I haven't even started to become a regiment commander yet. The left reserve army is going to be expanded into four regiments. Although I am on the list of four regiment commanders reported by General Lu to the Army Department, many officials in the Army Department are against me becoming a regiment commander. Deputy Minister Xu Shuzheng said that I have never been to a military school, not even to the Military Academy, and only attended a private school for three months. I am just a country bumpkin who can read a few words and am not qualified to be a regiment commander. Wu Chunlei became the platoon leader because he killed Crazy Sun. General Lu directly appointed him. He doesn't need to thank me. According to my opinion, he should be the deputy platoon leader first. It is not good to be promoted too quickly. In the last two military exercises, Wu Chunlei's platoon won the first place, but the results were cancelled by me. I heard from Han Fuju that Wu Chunlei violated the rules of the exercise and won by trickery. Young people should be down-to-earth in doing things and not be clever."

Di Xiong's heart sank after hearing this. Coming from the future, he originally thought that Feng Jishan's failure in the subsequent Central Plains War was due to poverty and lack of food, clothing, and ammunition, which dragged down the army. Now it seems that it is not only that. How can war be fought without conspiracy and tricks? In order to win, you can do whatever it takes. How can you win every time if you use a grand formation to fight hard? For the first time, Di Xiong doubted his support for Feng Jishan to seize the world. Hearing the name of Han Fuju, Di Xiong felt as sick as if he had eaten a fly. Han Fuju was called a "chameleon" in history. He was one of the founders of the "Wuhui Society", an anti-Qing organization in Luanzhou. Feng Jishan always trusted and valued him. At the critical moment of the Nankou War, he thought that the Northwest Army was no good, so he led Shi Yousan, Han Deyuan and tens of thousands of troops to betray Feng Jishan and surrender to Yan Xishan. After Feng Jishan swore an oath in Wuyuan, he was very powerful. Seeing that the situation was not good, he betrayed Yan and surrendered to Feng again. Feng Jishan still valued him. During the Central Plains War, he was bribed by Chiang Kai-shek with a large sum of money and once again led an army of 200,000 including Shi Yousan and Sun Tongxuan to rebel against Feng and join Chang. Feng Jishen was filled with remorse and had to resign.

Han Fuju was originally one of the "Thirteen Guardians" of the Northwest Army. However, Di Xiong was not ashamed of his character, so he replaced his name with Zhang Zizhong in the list given to Wu Chunlei.

Di Xiong said, "Brother, you are not from the Anhui clique, so it is not surprising that Xu Shuzheng rejected you. However, the Army Department also has to listen to President Yuan Shikai. General Lu is now being used by Yuan Shikai as the director of the Military and Political Law Enforcement Department and the commander of the reserve army. It is only a matter of time before you become the head of the regiment. Wu Chunlei is young and ignorant, so it is right for you to teach him a lesson."

Feng Jishan smiled and said, "I find that you have strong analytical skills. If I really become the head of the regiment, you can be my chief of staff. But you are a big boss now, so you will definitely be reluctant to give up your property."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. I've said it before. If you become the commander-in-chief of the national armed forces, I will definitely follow you and serve as your logistics manager. It's nice to be under a big tree! I'm just a small boss with assets of a few hundred thousand yuan. There are many rich people in and around Beijing with assets of millions or even tens of millions of yuan."

The banquet for Di Xiong was much more sumptuous than before, with fish and meat and several other non-vegetarian dishes, but there was still no wine or cigarettes. In addition to Song Zheyuan, Li Mingzhong and Wu Chunlei, there was also a new company commander, Han Fuju.

Han Fuju offered Di Xiong a cup of tea at the banquet and said, "Since Boss Di wants to do good things, why not do it to the end? There are more than 30 brothers who were injured and disabled in the day and night raids. Boss Di, can you take them all in?"