Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

For half a month, there were continuous battles in the northern part of Linzhou. The 16th Brigade took advantage of its mobility and continued to attack. The security groups in major counties surrendered, and Xue Ding soon organized a cannon fodder force of to people.

With the help of cannon fodder troops as the main force in the front, the two cities of Hutu and Beikou were quickly captured, leaving only Fengshan City still struggling to survive.

The Han warlords in Yongzhou were also advancing rapidly in the eastern part of Linzhou, successively taking over the territories of two cities and nine counties. Of course, this was also related to the retreat of Guo's troops to Yong'an City.

On the front battlefield, the Northwestern Revolutionary Army was in high spirits and achieved phased victories in two consecutive large-scale battles. On the other hand, the morale of Guo's troops had fallen to the bottom after losing the support of Fuso. Even senior officers were already seeking their own retreat, and the situation was in complete chaos.

How can you expect any combat effectiveness from a unit that has been labeled as a traitor, hated by the people, and deserted by its friends and relatives?

In Nanguan City, at the headquarters of the Second Army of the Guo faction, a middle-aged man wearing a black gown and glasses, looking very elegant, walked into the residence of Jia Ming, commander of the Second Army.

This person is Lu Da, an intelligence officer of the Northwest Revolutionary Army.

Inside the room, Jia Ming was sitting at the table, drinking tea and reading the newspaper in his hand, with no intention of getting up.

Lu Da calmly said, "General Jia, you should have seen the current situation clearly. The demise of the Guo faction is an irreversible fact."

"Commander Su of our Northwest Revolutionary Army has already said that as long as you are willing to give up the dark and join our Northwest Revolutionary Army, we will forgive all your past mistakes and let you take a sinecure in the Northwest Military Training Academy. You can live out your life with your family and enjoy the happiness of family life."

Jia Ming put down the newspaper and said slowly: "I have more than 20,000 troops under my command, which is of great value. Commander Su is really stingy. If I can still retain my position as the commander of your Northwest Revolutionary Army, I can consider it."

Lu Da sat across from Jia Ming carelessly and said straight to the point: "General Jia, you should know in your heart that this is absolutely impossible. As a surrendered general, being able to give you a real dignity and allowing you to spend your old age in peace is already the greatest sincerity of our Northwest Revolutionary Army."

The current Northwest Revolutionary Army has its own officer training system. Some young, potential, and ambitious middle and lower-level officers in these Guo-affiliated troops may be reused. But for a commander like Jia Ming who is greedy, has lost his blood, and only knows how to squeeze the people's blood, to retain his position as commander, unless Su Zhengyang is crazy.

Jia Ming sneered, "Both Zhao and Han offered higher prices for surrendering with my people. Why should I turn to your Northwest Revolutionary Army? The Han faction has already promised me that as long as I am willing to become a member of the Han faction, not only will my troop establishment and position as army commander be retained, but also a large amount of land and houses, and even cash. I am not stupid. Your Northwest Revolutionary Army is not the only choice. I can wait for the price to rise."

Lu Da sneered, "Now our Northwest Revolutionary Army's heavy troops are stockpiled not far away. Do you think you have any other choice? If you want to evacuate safely with your people, there is no hope. You have to think clearly. Now is our Northwest Revolutionary Army's chance for you. Once the general offensive begins and your Guo faction is completely annihilated, none of the Guo faction's high-ranking officers and core personnel will survive. Now is the only chance to save your life."

Jia Ming looked at Lu Da with a grim expression: "Who gave you the courage to threaten me on my territory? Believe it or not, I will kill you right now."

Lu Da shook his head indifferently: "I am just a small figure. Even if I die here, it will not cause much impact. But if the talks fail, General Jia will be buried with me."

"The Zhao and Han factions are definitely not the best choices. I hope Commander Jia can think clearly about the key points. In the future, Linzhou will definitely be the world of our Northwest Revolutionary Army. If you switch sides with the Zhao and Han factions, they will certainly give you a more generous price, but they are after the troops in your hands and may not be able to fulfill their promises in the future. Our Northwest Revolutionary Army has put all the conditions on the table, and will never hide them, nor will we have ulterior motives and abandon the donkey after it has done its work. Commander Jia should think about it carefully. When you have thought it through, send someone to the Floating Cloud Inn in the city to inform me."

After Lu Da left, Jia Ming's trusted subordinates looked at Lu Da's back and slowly said, "General, I think the Northwest Revolutionary Army has no sincerity at all. Why should we agree to them when there are obviously other better options."

Jia Ming shook his head and said, "Actually, he is right. Once I hand over the military power to the Zhao or Han factions, they will most likely abandon me. After all, what they want is the troops in my hands, not me, the commander who has already taken root in the Second Army."

"But if we agree to the conditions of the Northwest Revolutionary Army, it means we have given up our military power. Nowadays, if you have soldiers, you can survive anywhere. Why should we have to look at the Northwest Revolutionary Army's face?"

"You are too superficial. If I leave Linzhou, it will be a problem to feed the tens of thousands of troops. I don't want to wander around like a stray dog. At present, the Northwest Revolutionary Army is the best choice. I am old and have earned enough capital to live a wealthy life. Maybe it is a good choice to retire and enjoy the happiness of family life."

"Let's keep the Northwest Revolutionary Army here for a few days and see if their conditions change."

"General, what about the Zhao and Han factions? Should we reject them?"

"That's not necessary. A commodity needs to be scrambled for by several households in order to maximize its value. This is called rare goods are valuable."

In Shangjiu City, in the headquarters of the Korean forces, the Korean young master Han Jingting sat in the office with a comfortable look on his face, talking with Chen Jiahu, the commander of the Korean Sixth Army.

"The Guo faction is completely finished this time. They have angered the Northern Frontier Central Government. We will attack from both sides with the Northwest Revolutionary Army. In less than a month, we will be able to take down the entire Guo faction and put Guo Qicheng, the old fox, in ruins."

Chen Jiahu nodded. The Korean troops' advancement had been very smooth these days, and they had already captured a large amount of territory.

"Looking back, these territories we have occupied belong to us Koreans. We paid a huge price for this expedition, so it is only natural that we can get some benefits."

Chen Jiahu frowned and said, "I guess the Northwest Revolutionary Army will definitely not agree to our request. They will never tolerate giving part of Linzhou to our Han faction."

Han Jingting sneered, "Although we sent troops to attack the Guo faction after receiving a military order from the central government, in this day and age, a cannon shot is worth a ton of gold. How can we work for nothing? If Su Zhengyang wants to take the territory back, it depends on what price he can offer."

"Oh, right, hurry up and persuade Guo's troops to defect. What's in front of us now is a big piece of sweet dessert, and what we eat are all real benefits."

On the Korean side, the casualties and losses were not actually that great, which was far less than the efforts made by the Northwest Revolutionary Army. But in their minds, this was the best opportunity to pick peaches. They could take over a large amount of territory without much effort. They had to seize this opportunity that would give them a chance to win.