Chapter 4 Chapter Three Who Will Succeed

For the successor, Zhang Zuolin did not leave any will during his lifetime.Around the ownership of this throne, fierce struggles have been launched within the Northeast military and government. "Little Zhuge" Yang Yuting presided over the meeting and announced the so-called "will", but the "commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army" was not Zhang Xueliang.Who is the candidate on the list, and how did Zhang Xueliang finally get the position? The tranquility of the Northeast is no accident, it is due to a newcomer has put on the seal of command. Zhang Xueliang, whose name is Hanqing, is commonly referred to as the "little six son", but he is actually called by his baby name, not that he is the sixth child.

In addition to being a hero outside, Lao Zhang also has excellent performance at home. He has eight sons and six daughters, and fourteen children.Zhang Xueliang is the eldest son. At the age of nineteen, Xiao Zhang entered the Artillery Department of the Northeast Military Academy for training, and graduated and joined the army in the second year.As the No. 1 son of the Northeast, of course it is impossible to condescend to serve as a soldier, but directly served as the colonel and brigade commander of Lao Zhang's guard.Under the brilliance of Naifu, the cards on Xiao Zhang's shoulders were replaced at the speed of a rocket. In just a few years, he was promoted to the commander of the third mixed brigade in Northeast China, and was awarded the title of major general.

In the long period of time from joining the army to taking over, Xiao Zhang's performance is still remarkable. Of course, there is always someone to assist him, or help from noble people. The first noble person in Zhang Xueliang's life is naturally Guo Songling.Guo is an instructor at the Northeast School of Martial Arts. He is tall and burly, and he was nicknamed "Guo Guizi".One teacher, one student, the friendship between teachers and students is very deep.Later, when Guo Guizi was caught by Zhang Zuolin and about to be beheaded, Zhang Xueliang tried every means to rescue him by sending his teacher abroad.

People say that Xiao Zhang respects his teacher like a father, and he is affectionate and righteous. No one knows that in addition to the relationship between teachers and students, Xiao Zhang actually relies heavily on Teacher Guo. Guo Songling is not only an excellent military educator, but also unambiguous on the real battlefield.He was able to rise from an unknown military academy instructor to a major general in the Feng army. Although it is not ruled out that Xiao Zhang often whispered good things in Lao Tzu's ear, his outstanding talent is also the main reason. At that time, most of the officers and officers in Fengjun were old-fashioned people with beards. They knew how to rush forward when they fought, and they didn't know any training methods or command art.

Guo Songling was different. He trained well and formed his own system. The troops brought out by him were not only skilled in technical and tactical movements, but also strict in discipline. Shoot the first bird, this rule is the same everywhere.As soon as Mr. Guo became popular, he caused countless pink eye diseases.Gossip around is endless, saying that Guo's army has good military discipline, but good-looking doesn't necessarily mean it's useful, and it may not be able to actually fight. ("Same pronunciation, it is said that although the army trained by the public is well disciplined, it may not be good at fighting.")

Soon, Mr. Guo spoke with actual results on the battlefield.In the previous wars of Zhifeng, Guo Songling's Eighth Brigade's combat effectiveness not only stunned the old school, but also the new "non-commissioned officers" with admiration. It is natural for teachers to take care of students.The third brigade led by Zhang Xueliang at that time often fought with the eighth brigade, and was even mixed together, collectively referred to as the "38th" brigade. The "March 8th" brigade won the battle, and everyone knew that Guo Songling had made a lot of contributions, but no one was willing to say that Mr. Guo was good, and they all exaggerated that the young master used his troops well.

The reason is very simple: jealousy plus flattering—jealousy of Guo Songling, flattering Zhang's father and son. If the "March 8th" brigade fought well, the officers would be promoted quickly.Zhang Xueliang was soon promoted from major general to lieutenant general because of his meritorious service, and became the commander of the third army. No matter how others tout it, Xiao Zhang can still understand it clearly.He attaches great importance to Mr. Guo, sometimes even to the point of connivance. In the eleventh year of the Republic of China (1922), the Feng army was defeated in the first Zhifeng war.Lao Zhang was very depressed at the time and didn't know how to get out of the predicament.At this time, Zhang Xueliang promptly presented the plan of "Reorganizing the Army, Economics and Military Affairs", that is, a package plan for re-improving and rectifying the army.

Although Lao Zhang was born with a beard, he has rich experience and is not an ordinary person, so he immediately praised and adopted him. After the "reorganization of the army and the military", the strength of the Feng army was greatly enhanced, which became an important factor for its victory in the second Zhifeng War. In fact, a large part of the wisdom of "whole army and martial arts" comes from the masters of Fengjun - Guo Songling and Yang Yuting. For Guo Songling, "the whole army and the military" is a new starting point to establish his status and strength.The master and apprentice promoted and reused a large number of young officers from the Northeast Kung Fu School, and formed the "Kung Fu Department" which had a certain influence in the Fengjun.

This sect bears Xiao Zhang's signboard, but the actual master is General Guo who has been transformed from Mr. Guo. My son has made progress, I see it in my eyes, and I am happy in my heart. A child should be like Sun Zhongmou.No matter how heroic I am, there is an end to it. Only when my successor is capable, can I sleep soundly and peacefully in the future. It's a pity that Zhang Xueliang's excessive connivance and trust actually hurt his teacher. Guo Guizi's wings were hardened. He wanted to replace his boss and let himself be the leading role in the big show, but he was killed by Zhang, who was even better at singing. .

For Guo Songling, Zhang Zuolin can be said to hate him deeply, and he must get rid of him quickly.Because he thinks that he has given everything to the other party except his wife, and even entrusted him with the son who will succeed him in the future, and actually occupies the position of grand master. Life, that's worth it. Without Guo Songling, the noble person and mentor in his life, Zhang Xueliang will be in a difficult situation from now on. In the future, no matter what difficult dilemmas he encounters (including "September 18"), he will mutter to himself: If only Guo Songling was here, it would be fine...

After the Huanggutun incident, Zhang Zuolin's death has been kept secret in the Marshal's Mansion. Sometimes whether a person is alive or not is not his private matter, but a public matter related to the ups and downs of countless people. People learned from the announcement of the Marshal's Mansion that the "Marshal" was only slightly injured in the explosion and is now safe and sound.Not only can I eat, drink, and listen to ditties, but I also have to respond to the request of the tabloids to publish life photos on the gossip news page every now and then. Relaxation and illusion can only be used to maintain the surface, and the people in the Marshal's Mansion are already anxious like ants on a hot pot.They are waiting for someone. This person is Zhang Xueliang who is still in the pass. Five thunders struck the top, thousands of arrows pierced the heart, and the heart was pierced like a knife. These can be used to describe Xiao Zhang's mood at that time. But I think that after the great grief and shock, what remained in Xiao Zhang's mind was probably still a kind of bewilderment and at a loss. After all, the incident was too sudden, and there was no psychological preparation at all. Anyway, let's go back and talk about it. Public security has deteriorated to such an extent that it is impossible not to wear makeup. After much deliberation, only the soldiers are the safest, and among the soldiers, only the cook is the least noticeable.So Xiao Zhang took advantage of the dark sky, shaved his head (only officers have long hair), took a rice spoon, carried a cauldron, and under the protection of several capable guards, mixed among the retreating soldiers, got on a tank truck and returned Fengtian. There, he will accept a severe test and welcome the second nobleman in his life. A family cannot be without an owner for a day, and a country cannot be without a king for a day. After the commander-in-chief leaves, someone must take charge of the overall situation. In this context, the Federation of Parliaments of the Three Northeastern Provinces was held. The moderator of the meeting was Yang Yuting, who has been serving as the General Counselor of Fengjun (equivalent to the Chief of Staff). If Guo Songling is a rare military talent in the Fengjun, then this Mr. Yang is the leading military and political talent in the Fengjun. People gave Yang Yuting the nickname: Little Zhuge. Please don't underestimate such a name.Although it is often impolite and unwelcome for us to call others nicknames, "Little Zhuge" is definitely an exception. According to historical records, the real Zhuge Kongming may not be as wise and powerful as in the legend.However, after thousands of years of interpretation and imagination by people, this image has been greatly deified, and has become a perfect person and super idol of the century who knows astronomy and geography from the top, and understands trivial details from the bottom. Being able to be called Zhuge (even if it is a little Zhuge) shows that the person himself is a bit close to a god-man.I only know that in terms of influential figures, before that, Zuo Zongtang in Hunan counted as one, and after that, only Bai Chongxi in Guangxi has won this honorable title. Yang Yuting, who had the talent of reminiscing with his eyes when he was young, was admitted as a scholar at the age of sixteen. After the abolition of the imperial examination, he entered the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer School to study. . This person has the talent of a prime minister and is good at both military and political affairs. He was the "big steward" that the old commander Zhang Zuolin valued and relied on most during his lifetime.In Zhang Zuolin's era, Lao Zhang was in front of the stage giving advice, while Mr. Yang was making suggestions behind the scenes. During his tenure, the housekeeper was busy helping the boss with decoration and creating furniture. It can be said that he has worked hard and made outstanding achievements.Simply collected, at least the following "four major items" are included: formulating the land tax system, building combat readiness roads, supervising the arsenal, and establishing the Northeast Navy. If you fix the land tax, you will have money; if you build roads, you will have roads; if you build factories, you will have guns; if you build a navy, you will have the advantage of waterways. The so-called masters will know if they have one as soon as they show their moves.There are not many four, but each of them has caught the idea, grasped the key point, considered the future and near worries, and caught them all in one go. In terms of military management and strategic vision, he is far beyond Guo Songling, and he can be regarded as the veritable No. 1 person in Northeast China! Lao Zhang has never been bad at selecting talents and appointing talents. But Mr. Yang also had shortcomings, and this shortcoming later brought him a fatal disaster. That is, compared with his ability to deal with military and political aspects, his ability to deal with interpersonal relationships seems to be a little worse. At best, it is called being strict with people, at worst, it is called narrow-minded, and in short, it is not very popular.Of course, this is also related to the fact that there are too many factions in Fengjun and the relationship is too complicated. In Fengjun, with the evolution of history, it can be roughly divided into two factions: the old faction and the new faction. The old school is called the old school, which is based on the old brothers who followed Lao Zhang. Representatives are Zhang Zuoxiang, Wu Junsheng, Zhang Jinghui, Tang Yulin and others.Most of them belonged to reckless heroes. In the early years, they were good at fighting guerrillas and looting food and grass. After they went down the mountain, they were not so good at fighting regular battles. Nothing but old school is new school.However, within the New School, there are also ranks and ranks. The first group is called the "non-commissioned officer department", and most of the officers are high-achieving students studying in Japanese non-commissioned officer schools. Representatives are Yang Yuting, Han Linchun, Jiang Dengxuan and so on.One group is called the "Jiangwu Department", which brings together the elites of the Northeast Jiangwu Academy. The representative is Guo Songling, and the actual supporter behind it is Zhang Xueliang. Mr. Yang's principle of doing things is to treat things and not people. Except for the old man, he dares to greet him from any school or faction. This is a great man: I am Kong Ming, who am I afraid of? As a new faction, Yang Yuting once took advantage of the opportunity of "reorganizing the army and improving martial arts" to boldly establish a new faction and exclude the old-school figures.Undoubtedly, people of the old school don't eat dry food, and this is settled. Both came out of the military academy. As sea turtles, the "non-commissioned officer department" and the soil turtle "martial arts department" have always been fighting openly and covertly, and the gap is very deep. As the General Councilor, he issued an execution order for him (in fact, even if he didn't, the boss Zhang Zuolin would force him to do so), which offended all the "martial arts department". Even some people in the "non-commissioned officer department" are dissatisfied with him, thinking that he is arrogant, likes to be superior, and bosses around. There are many strange things, nothing to blame, but there are too many mountains in Fengjun, and there are many temples that are not quite big gods.If you want to be a good old man in this spider web, you have to do nothing and be a real and muddy old fritters. However, Yang Yuting was not such a person, so when changing bosses, everyone wanted to replace this overly strict housekeeper. But now the situation is so weird, looking at the military and political circles in the Northeast, no one can hold their ground except him, Yang.Therefore, people had no choice but to push him to the front of the stage again, and let him preside over this extremely important meeting for the fate of the Northeast. The core of the Federation of Parliaments of the Three Northeast Provinces is to issue a list of candidates for the Commander-in-Chief of Security in the three Northeast Provinces. Previously, the title of commander-in-chief of security belonged to Zhang Zuolin.In other words, whoever becomes the commander-in-chief will truly inherit the mantle of the old commander. In fact, before the meeting, the factions had basically decided on the candidate for the commander-in-chief after fighting openly and secretly and making mutual compromises. Meetings are just a formality.Only a few people who don't know the truth need to guess the riddle. But the mystery will soon be revealed. What I can tell you is: this person is definitely not Zhang Xueliang. Because the Huanggutun incident was a sudden incident, Zhang Zuolin was in a coma for most of the time after being recruited, and he hardly confessed anything.He has not appointed anyone to succeed him.After all, the monarchy has long been abolished, and the republic has been practiced for many years. Although the trend of sons following fathers is very obvious, no one is ashamed to speak too clearly before that step. Old Zhang is alive, so there is no suspense for Xiao Zhang to inherit the throne.But now that Lao Zhang is gone, everyone has to continue serving bowls for dinner. Whoever can guarantee that his bowl of rice will continue to be delicious and delicious has to think about it. Don't blame the world for being cold and cold, it can only be said that human nature is like this. Yang Yuting believes that Xiao Zhang's shoulders are still immature, and he may not be able to handle the burden left by Lao Zhang for the time being. He is not the only one who thinks this way, quite a few people think so, especially after the battle against Guo Songling. Then, Mr. Yang ruled himself out again.He has self-knowledge, since he is a "little Zhuge", his role is to be an auxiliary minister, and he has no psychological preparation and intention to "become a great treasure". What's more, he also knows that over the years, he has made many enemies in the government and the opposition. Even if he has this idea, the possibility of success is not very high. He needs to come up with a roster that is acceptable on all fronts. Before announcing this list, the butler also fully considered the emotional and psychological endurance of the little master. Therefore, a "Grand Marshal's Will" appeared "in due course" on the venue: Unfortunately, I was bombed on the way back, and now I am on the verge of dying ("I am sick now, and I will die in the end").After I became a soldier, I vowed to serve the country with my life, so I have long been afraid of death. Now that I am fifty-four years old, it is nothing to die, but I have not yet fulfilled my ambition to save the country ("Only the ambition to save the country Attempted"), sorry.Now I'm handing over the responsibility of guarding Fengtian to my son Zhang Xueliang, you have to help me take care of him more. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is by no means the tone of Mr. Zhang, but rather like the last words of Mr. Sun (Sun Yat-sen).If Lao Zhang could still hold on to make a will at that time, he would never be so fake and sour. He would just say: Ma Labazi is free of charge, and the back of his head is a passport. I will not be able to pass this test today, brothers Let's do a good job with the little six... Yang Shenshi was a scholar after all, so he dressed Lao Zhang as a cultural person out of nothing. The first part of the "pseudo-will" is obviously a errand, and can be used by any soldier who has died (only need to modify the age at the time of death). The essence is reflected in the following sentence: the guard governs Fengtian. It is clear that this is a local official, and there is no reason for anyone to be the governor of the province and also the chairman of the country, so this means that the commander-in-chief of the three eastern provinces of Xiaoliuzi must not be successful. This is the face that Yang Yuting and the meeting participants are going to leave for Zhang Xueliang. Some people say that this "Grand Marshal's Will" was secretly concocted by Yang Yuting and his like against Zhang Xueliang's wishes. Against Zhang Xueliang's wishes, this may be true.Because he didn't explicitly express that he didn't want to succeed as the head.But "secretly" is out of the question.After all, the matter is of great importance, and it is no secret among the insiders that the commander-in-chief did not leave a will in time. If this false will had not been approved by most of the people present (including Zhang Xueliang), who would dare to fabricate another one? Come out and read it in public? As with any award show, the consolation prizes are always up front. Everyone turned their expectant eyes to Yang Yuting, waiting for him to announce the winner of the grand prize. The mystery was revealed immediately, it really was him! The host of the meeting then put forward a vote, and there was no suspense, because far more than half of the people in favor. But it was discovered that this person was not present.Immediately, those who did not raise their hands pointed out that since the electee himself was not present, such an election was inappropriate and not in accordance with the rules. As expected of a seasoned veteran in the officialdom, Yang Shenshi replied calmly: "I am not here but there are many nominations, which shows that everyone's expectations are unified." No more objections. The host announced on the spot: the election result is valid. At this time, Zhang Xueliang's heart must have been extremely sad, but he could only choose to accept it passively, and there was no other way. The highest military and political officer of the three northeastern provinces is about to be released, but this person is not him. At this moment, the balance of history had an astonishing reversal again. A person suddenly appeared at the entrance of the venue, causing a crowd of exclamations. This person is dressed in a filial robe, with a hemp rope around his waist, and hemp shoes on his feet. He doesn't seem to be here for a meeting, but rather for a funeral. The second noble person in Zhang Xueliang's life is here! Zhang Zuoxiang, then governor and governor of Jilin Province, one of the representatives of the old school, once served as the commander of the Second Army of Fengjun, and Zhang Xueliang's immediate boss. Listening to the name, you might think that he has some kind of relationship with Zhang Zuolin.In fact, no, the two have the same last name is purely coincidental.Although not blood relatives, the two definitely had a life-threatening friendship.In history, Zhang Zuolin formed an alliance twice, and Zhang Zuoxiang was on the list. The reason why Zhang Zuoxiang was able to "unify everyone's expectations", to put it bluntly, was because he was the only figure acceptable to all factions at that time. Guo Guizi rebelled, and one hundred thousand elites approached Fengtian, and the situation was critical. Fortunately, he and Wu Junsheng fought to protect the Lord, and the crisis was saved.This matter not only made Lao Zhang feel sorry for him, thinking that the old brothers were the most loyal at the critical moment, but also won him the trust of the old school. The Guo army was defeated. In addition to executing Guo Guizi, Lao Zhang was annoyed and planned to execute all the rebel generals.Thanks to Zhang Zuoxiang's repeated admonitions as a hero in countering the rebellion, they saved their lives. Mr. Guo caused trouble, and Xiao Zhang naturally cannot be exempted from responsibility. In Lao Zhang's words, his son "trusts Guo Guizi more than he trusts his father".According to Lao Zhang's character, although capital crimes are avoidable (someone must take over), living crimes are inevitable. Zhang Zuoxiang gave full play to the spirit of being a good person to the end, tried his best, worked hard, and said good things, and finally let Xiao Zhang get out of the whole body . Regardless of the old school or the new school, there are only two words for Zhang Zuoxiang: kindness, and three words: really kind. Not only has the qualifications to make friends with the old commander Babai, but also has the achievements of countering the rebellion, and he will not embarrass the brothers. Such a person, if he is not selected, who should he choose? Before the meeting, someone had delivered the commander-in-chief's military uniform to Zhang Zuoxiang's residence. But Zhang Zuoxiang showed his attitude with practical actions. After entering the venue, he held the military uniform of the commander-in-chief of security and placed it in front of Zhang Xueliang. Everyone knew what this meant, and everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.Xiao Zhang himself was also at a loss, so he stood up quickly and said that he was too young and inexperienced in all aspects. It would be better to ask the old uncle (Zhang Xueliang referred to Zhang Zuoxiang as an uncle) to take charge of the military and political power in the three eastern provinces. In front of everyone, Zhang Zuo burst into tears and moved his true feelings: When the old man was alive, he often asked me to take care of Hanqing.Hanqing is young and promising, and his son inherited his father's business in a justifiable name. The enemy can no longer delay it. These words made sense and made sense, and it really touched Xiao Zhang's heart, and he was both moved and excited for a while. Regarding the election results and appointments at the meeting, Zhang Zuoxiang said that it was really difficult to follow his orders, because he wanted to rush back to Jinzhou to attend the funeral for his mother (“Zuo Xiang was not filial, and his mother died, so Zuo Xiang immediately went to Jinzhou to manage his mother’s funeral”). More than a week later, that is, in July of the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), the Federation of Provincial Councils of the Three Northeastern Provinces overturned the method of voting by show of hands and replaced it with ballot elections. As a result, Zhang Xueliang was successfully elected as the commander-in-chief of security in the three northeastern provinces and Fengtian Security Commander—— Real knowledge comes from practice, who said that the two cannot be obtained at the same time. Undoubtedly, at the moment when the 27-year-old young marshal stepped onto the red carpet, his heart must have been filled with infinite gratitude to the man he called the old uncle. Everyone read it right, this is indeed a loyal and kind person that is rare in the world. When the laurel crown of the Northeast King waved to him, he resolutely chose to give up, just for a promise: When the old man is alive, I promise that the old man will take care of Han Qing!