Chapter 189 188. The First Zhifeng War

Fengzhang’s plan has been described before, specifically, it is—— Main body: Combining the Feng faction, the Anhui faction and Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong, the so-called Sun, Duan and Zhang triangle alliance. Auxiliary body: Ask Zhang Xun to pack up his old department and regroup. Military plan: The Feng army will occupy the northern section of Jinghan and Jinpu roads, order Zhang Xun to go south along Jinpu road, combine with his old troops in Anhui, and then follow the Longhai line to attack Henan.Contact Zhejiang to deal with Jiangsu.At the same time, we waited for Sun Yat-sen's Northern Expeditionary Army to dispatch to contain Hunan and Jiangxi.In the northwest, the frustrated Chen Shufan attacked Shaanxi.The Yangtze River used some soldiers from Sichuan to go down the Yangtze River to attack Wuhan.Make Wu Guangxin and Zhang Zongchang echo in Shandong.Zhao Ti from Henan also secretly communicated with the Feng family.

However, things in the world are often unsatisfactory, and Feng Zhang's wishful thinking fell through one by one on the eve of the Zhifeng War: First, although Duan Qirui had sex with Fengfang, he refused to do his best to support Fengfang, and his attitude suddenly became negative. Except for Zhang Jingyao, Zhang Zongchang, and Wu Guangxin who were eager to try, the other generals of the Anhui faction were not active in Tianjin. Second, although Zhang Xun wants to make a comeback, his old department has been separated for a long time, or he is alienated.Zhang Wensheng, governor of Anhui, expressed his neutrality, and discussed with Jiangsu to protect the environment and the people.

Third, Sun Yat-sen's Northern Expeditionary Army was restrained by Chen Jiongming, so Li Liejun's division into Jiangxi was postponed. Fourth, Zhao Ti, governor of Henan, communicated secretly with the Feng family, but because of the confidentiality of the matter, Wu Peifu was able to pre-emptively dispatched troops from Hunan and Hubei to Henan, and resolved the troubles of his henchmen with swift actions.Although Feng's army had already entered the customs, it was too late to help Zhao. As for the Zhili lineage, since the Cao brothers were unwilling to meet with the Feng lineage from the beginning, Wu Peifu was alone. On April 11, the Zhili lineage held a meeting in Baoding, unanimously advocating resistance to Zhang and refusal. Cao Kai, the younger brother of Cao Cao, withdrew from his position as division commander and handed over the command of the entire Zhili Army to Wu Peifu. Wang Chengbin, who had been ordered to go out of customs three times as a dispatcher, also led his powerful troops to join the Zhili Army as the commander of the West Route.The Cao family in Baoding and the Wu family in Luoyang reunited, their strength increased greatly, and the situation changed suddenly.At the same time, because Sun Yat-sen's Northern Expedition Army failed to dispatch, Wu Peifu had to transfer the direct army stationed in Hunan to the north to join the war.The rebellion against Zhao Ti in Henan can be stopped in time, and the defense line of Shaanxi can be narrowed so that the troops can be concentrated.

The Feng Clan was extremely tough at the beginning, and the arrangements were well thought out. However, many changes have taken place during the brewing process, so the attitude has gradually eased. It is hoped that time will be used to adjust its unfavorable situation.Although the Zhili was in an unfavorable situation at the beginning, it slowly turned to a favorable situation, so the morale was high and it was conducive to a quick battle. Wu Peifu grasped this favorable situation and forced the Feng army to fight immediately, hoping to achieve a quick battle. In the Zhifeng War, the east route was along the Jinpu line, and the west route was carried out along the Beijing-Han line and the areas east of it.

On April 29th, Zhang Zuolin went to Junliang City to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Zhenwei Army, with Sun Liechen as the deputy commander, and immediately issued a general attack order for the Fengjun Army.Zhang Zuoxiang, the commander-in-chief of the East Road of the Fengjun, was stationed in Luodai, and he belonged to the 27th Division of Zhang Zuoxiang and the division commander, Xu Lanzhou, the commander of the cavalry group, and Zhang Xueliang, the commander of Zhang Zuolin's Guard Brigade. Before the war, the Fengjun shortened the line of defense and retreated to the North of the horse factory.Zhang Jinghui, Commander-in-Chief of the West Road, was stationed in Changxindian, and belonged to Zou Fen, commander of the 1st Division and 16th Division of the Fengjun Army, and Qi Zhanjiu, commander of the 5th Mixed Brigade.The total number of Fengjun is about 125,000.

Wu Peifu was the commander-in-chief of the Zhijun Army, and the headquarters was set up in Zhuozhou. The west route was Wu Peifu's third division at Liulihe, Wang Chengbin's twenty-third division was at Gu'an, the east route was Zhang Guorong's twenty-sixth division, and The 24th Division that later joined Zhang Fulai were all in Machang.The direct army is about 100,000 people. Although the number is smaller than that of the Feng army, they are all battle-tested soldiers. In this war, the actions that are beneficial to the direct army are as follows: (1) Jiang Zheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, sent a telegram to assist him.Du Xigui, Commander of the Second Fleet of the Navy, notified the diplomatic corps, declaring that he would be honored.Sa Zhenbing led the ships to the north, the two ships Haichou and Hairong sailed to Qinhuangdao, and the four ships Jiangli, Jiangyuan, Chutong, and Chuqian sailed to Dagukou, threatening the rear of the Feng army.It is the morale and prestige of the strong and straight army, but the courage of the cold Feng army.

(2) Under Zhang Zuolin's secret order, Zhang Zongchang led a part of the Feng army to detour from the sea to Qingdao, and planned to go straight to Shandong by false route. This action was noticed by the governor of Lu, Tian Zhongyu.On the one hand, they were preparing to attack, and at the same time, they sent a telegram requesting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with Japan, ordering the Japanese Qingdao defense commander to prohibit Feng's troops from landing, so Feng's plan to attack Shandong came to naught. (3) The two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang announced that they would protect the territory and the people, and the Feng Faction's plan to disrupt the Soviet Union with the Zhejiang army also fell through.

(4) Zhao Ti, governor of Henan Province, and his brother Zhao Jie had plans to fight against Wu, but due to the timely control of the Zhi army, the plans of the Zhao brothers disappeared. (5) Fengjun came from outside the customs, which did not conform to the living habits of the people in Pingjin, so there was quite a lack of coordination between the army and the people. From April 29 to May 3, both Zhifeng and Bong fabricated battle reports to boast of their victory.Zhang Zuolin also regarded himself as a victor, and he published victory telegrams every day.Zhijun released the extra account at will, saying that the Beijing government had dismissed Zhang Zuolin, and sent Zhang Xiluan as the patrol envoy of the three eastern provinces, and Feng Delin as the governor of Fengtian Province.

Before April 29th, there were sporadic contacts between the Zhifeng and Fengtian armies on the front line, and the sound of guns was intermittent. On the 29th, the two sides officially opened fire. In Beijing, the rumble of cannons could be heard from Changxindian. Many foreigners were curious. , Risking his life to go to the battlefield to watch the battle. The entire war was launched in Changxindian, Gu'an and Machang, and the most intense artillery fire was between Changxindian and Liulihe. The two armies repeatedly advanced and retreated, and the casualties were countless. Booming fiercely, Wu Peifu strictly ordered Dong Zhengguo, the front enemy commander of Changxindian, to stand firm and exhaust the army.

The Feng army attacked fiercely, and the Zhi army held firm. This stalemate lasted for a day and a night. On the 30th, Wu Peifu ordered to change the defense to an offense, and the Feng army also concentrated their firepower to hold their positions. On May 3, Fengjun artillery seriously threatened the Zhijun position. Zhang Jinghui, the commander of Fengjun East Road, forgot Zhang Zuolin's order of half attack and half defense, and advanced towards the Zhijun position.That night, Wu Peifu found out that Fengjun's artillery fire was exhausted, so he stormed the front with a brigade of direct troops, and sent thousands of elite soldiers to detour and lead them to the rear of Fengjun through ambushes in the fields. On the 4th, the Zhijun rushed directly to the Lugou Bridge, and the Fengjun was attacked from the front and back, and the shells were exhausted. At the same time, the Zhang Xiyuan Brigade of the Zhijun came from Tongguan, Shaanxi for reinforcements, and arrived at the camp in Liangxiang.At the most tense moment, Wu Peifu personally led the guards to intercept in front. Due to the fierce artillery fire in front, many direct troops could not resist and retreated. Wu stopped them on the battlefield.

On May 5th, Zhang Xiyuan's brigade, which was reinforced by the Zhijun, joined the battle and rushed straight to Fengtai. Fengjun Zhang Jinghui hurriedly withdrew from Fengtai, so Changxindian fell into the hands of the Zhijun.Zhang Jinghui first retreated to Lugou Bridge, and the direct army advanced to Luodai, where the headquarters of Fengjun East Road was located.The Fengjun on the Gu'an side of the middle road learned that Changxindian had fallen, and the Fengjun on the West Road was defeated. The army's morale was in turmoil, and they also retreated one after another, fleeing to Tianjin. The Fengjun on the East Road had a small victory, unfortunately Zhang Xueliang was injured, and when he heard that the battle on the West Road was defeated, he also began to retreat.Li Jinglin led his troops back to Baoliangzhuang and Duliu, and then back to Shanhaiguan. The Fengjun was defeated in all directions, and Zhang Zuolin rushed to Luodai on May 4 in an attempt to save the decline, but the situation was over, so he hurried back to Tianjin to issue the general retreat order.On the second day, they retreated to Luanzhou, took Kaiping as the first line of defense, and ordered Li Jinglin to defend it, Guye as the second line of defense, ordered Zhang Zuoxiang to defend, Luanzhou was the third line of defense, Zhang Zuolin himself was in charge, and Changle was the fourth Sun Liechen defended the line of defense. Zhijun also adjusted the battle line and concentrated its forces, taking Xuwuzhuang as the first line of defense, with Peng Shouxin in charge, Lutai as the second line of defense, ordered Mu Brigade, and Junliang City as the third line of defense, with Wang Chengbin in charge. The victory of the Changxindian direct army determined the victory on the battlefield.The defeat of the Fengjun in Changxindian was due to the cessation of fighting by the 16th Division of the Fengjun. The division was placed on the front line to attack the Zhi army, just like when the Wanzhi war two years ago, the Anhui faction placed the 15th Division, which originally belonged to the Zhi line, as the vanguard at the front line. After Feng's army was defeated, Xu Shichang ordered Feng's army to withdraw from the customs on May 5, saying: "In the past, the troops from Zhili, Fengtian and other places were transferred to the Kinki area, and they retreated separately after repeated orders, but they did not obey them, and the battle became fierce. In recent days, the sound of guns and artillery has been going on day and night, and refugees and wounded soldiers have been coming in and out. Yu Dao, Lu Yan was shocked, the people were devastated, the soldiers were in danger of fighting, and the words were painful. I would like to issue another order, and immediately order the troops to stop the attack. The Fengtian army will withdraw from the pass immediately, and the Zhili troops should also return to their original places. , wait for the order of the central government to resolve it, and everyone must obey it! This order." There is another order to investigate and deal with the culprit, Ling Yun: "The war in Kinki this time, which killed people and wounded soldiers, was all caused by the instigation of Ye Gongchuo, Liang Shiyi, and Zhang Hu. There is nothing wrong with it. He will also be deprived of his honors and medals, and will be arrested and handed over to the court for interrogation according to law! This order." When the investigation order was not issued, Liang Shiyi's left and right persuaded Liang to send a telegram to argue. Liang said: "I was also the chief culprit in the Hongxian battle. I suffered for others. Today is different from before." Zhang Jiangling replied to Wu Yaoshan: "Twenty years ago I once had a great wish, I would like to use my body as a mat, so that people can sleep on it, drowning and filthy. The heart is ringing. Under the investigation order, I just put the boat on the sea and go home to serve my father." On the evening of the 4th, there was a long-distance call from Beijing to Liang Shiyi's residence in Tianjin. Please listen to Liang Shiyi. The caller was none other than Acting Premier Zhou Ziqi.Zhou said: The resignation order will be issued, and I should act as the prime minister. I should countersign it, but I feel sorry for my old friend for decades, so I will inform you first and ask for understanding.At the same time, he advised Liang to leave Tianjin immediately, fearing that the future situation would become uncontrollable.Liang replied: "Thank you, brother Zizhen (Zhou Ziqi), and please convey my thanks to Donghai (referring to Xu Shichang) on ​​my behalf. Thank you for your love and love, and you will be remembered forever. The two of us have known each other for decades, and we are as close as brothers. In the future, it will be recorded in history that Zhou Ziqi's Deputy Commissioner's arrest of Liang Shiyi is also an interesting story in political history!" After Ye Gongchuo's resignation, Gao Lingfei acted as the chief of transportation. On the 7th, Liang Shiyi, Ye Gongchuo, Liu Zhanchao, Zheng Wenxuan, Wang Jizi, Huang Zhizhong, Li Damu and others left Tianjin for Japan.Live in Nagasaki. After Wu Peifu defeated Feng Zhang, his reputation was greatly shaken. Jiang Fangzhen once praised Wu as the most outstanding general among Chinese generals.When Wu was training troops in Luoyang, he changed Yue Wumu's "Man Jianghong Ci" into a military song, which was impassioned. After the victory of Zhijun, Wu Peifu went to Junliang City to inspect (Junliang City is the location of Fengzhang's headquarters). On May 7, he returned to Tianjin from Junliang City.At this time, his prestige was so high that it reached its peak, and Chinese and foreign people in Tianjin demanded to pay homage to this talented Marshal Wu.When Wu Peifu met these people, he talked eloquently and proudly.Those who follow the trend are quite proud to see General Wu, or run around telling them that General Wu favors me! Wu Peifu also met many Beiyang veterans in Tianjin. Zhao Erxun, who had been the governor of the three eastern provinces, advised Wu not to go too far, and enough is enough.Wu glanced at Zhao Erxun coldly, and said proudly: "It was you who promoted Zhang Zuolin in the past. The bandits caused harm to the country, and you should be responsible if you go back to the beginning. Do you still want to intercede for him?" Zhao Erxun's face turned blue. Wu repeatedly urged the Beijing government to order Zhang Zuolin to be punished, and at the same time voluntarily resigned as the tour envoy to the two lakes, so there were rumors that the system of tour envoys was abolished. On May 10, the Beijing government ordered the abolition of the tour envoys in the three eastern provinces, and Zhang Zuolin was removed from his post and other posts, pending investigation. On May 11, the Beijing government again ordered the abolition of the Mengjiang economic envoy, and according to the opinions of the direct line, Wu Jun was promoted to be the governor of Fengtian, and Feng Delin was appointed as the governor of Heilongjiang. On the same day, the Federation of Parliaments of the Three Northeastern Provinces and various groups in Shenyang called to reject the Beijing government's "disorderly order" to remove Zhang Zuolin.The next day (May 12), Zhang Zuolin declared independence in Luanzhou, renamed the commander-in-chief of Fengjun, and issued a declaration to the outside world: "...For the protection of the life and property of the people of the friendly countries, all the treaties signed during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China are fully recognized. If there is any negotiation after that, please send a note to the Commander-in-Chief of Luanzhou. Starting from the first day of this month All the treaties concluded by the Beijing government concerning the three northeastern provinces, Inner and Inner Mongolia, Jehol, and Chahar without the permission of this Commander-in-Chief will not be recognized.” Because of Zhang Zuolin's independence, the Beijing Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a note to the ministers of various countries: "From now on, all affairs in the three eastern provinces will be invalid unless approved by the central government." After the defeat of Fengjun, Japanese Foreign Minister Uchida issued a declaration of strict neutrality in the three eastern provinces. "Asahi Shimbun" published a book against "holding neutrality".Advocate further appropriate disposal.The Uchida Declaration was originally a diplomatic smokescreen. In fact, Japanese ambitious elements all advocated supporting Zhang Zuolin's independence because they disliked Wu Peifu, who had attacked the pro-Japanese faction.There used to be an organization called "Zhang Zuolin Support Club" in Tokyo. In fact, Japanese careerists misunderstood Zhang Zuolin, thinking that Zhang Zuolin could be bought, but in fact Feng Zhang's strengths were that he had an independent personality and will, and he would never commit acts of treason.The Japanese wanted to take advantage of Fengzhang's defeat to protect themselves and provide support in exchange for a price that would be beneficial to the three eastern provinces. The Japanese were actually wrong, because although Fengzhang was defeated, they still had the strength to protect themselves. On June 4, Zhang Zuolin claimed to be the commander-in-chief of the autonomous security of the three northeastern provinces, and once again issued a declaration of "retreat and self-government", and appointed Sun Liechen as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy, and Yang Yuting as the chief of staff.Yang Yuting, whose name is Linge, is a native of Fengtian Faku County and a graduate of the Japanese Military Academy. The Feng army had contact with the former enemy commander of the direct army, Peng Shouxin, commander of the temporary first division, deputy commander, and Sun Yue, the 15th mixed brigade, in Chenzhuang and Niuzhuang areas near Qinhuangdao.Sun Yue is the adopted son of Cao Kun. In the late Qing Dynasty, he was promoted step by step from the artillery platoon leader of the third town to the supervisor. He was almost killed because he participated in the Luanzhou Uprising. Cao Kun secretly informed him to escape. During the Zhiwan War, he was the regiment commander of the Zhijun Army, but now he has been promoted to brigade commander. From June 8th to June 13th, when the two armies fought, the Feng army once won a victory. Shenyang held a victory ceremony and made a lot of publicity, but the Zhi army also turned defeat into victory at Jiumenkou. On the 13th, the consuls of various countries in Shenyang jointly issued a warning to Feng Zhang, believing that the Yuguan war would affect the safety of international trains. On June 18, Wang Chengbin and Peng Shoushen, plenipotentiaries of the Zhijun Army, and Sun Liechen and Zhang Xueliang, plenipotentiaries of the Fengjun Army, signed an armistice treaty on the British warship Kelfu off the coast of Qinhuangdao, with Yuguan as the boundary between the two armies. Outside the pass, most of the Zhijun army withdrew to the original defense except for a part of the Zhijun stationed at Yuguan.Regarding Zhang Zuolin's status, the Beijing government refused to revoke the disciplinary order on May 10. The provincial assemblies of the three northeastern provinces still appointed Zhang as the commander-in-chief of security in the three northeastern provinces, and promoted Sun Liechen and Wu Junsheng as deputy commanders, maintaining an independent attitude towards the Beijing government. . In the battle of Zhifeng, the main reasons for the failure of the Feng faction were: (1) Zhang Zuolin looked down on Wu Peifu.Although Zhang Zuolin is four years younger than Wu Peifu, his status in the Beiyang system is much higher than that of Wu. Zhang made his mark in Yuan Shikai's era and was favored by Yuan. , Feng Guozhang).Competing against Cao Kun, Wu Peifu has always been a general under Cao Kun, and it was not known to the people of the country until Hengyang withdrew troops. (2) Feng Zhang adopted the strategy of uniting Cao to control Wu, but the direct line is the direct line. As Cao Kun said, although relatives are not as close as subordinates, if Cao Kun does not follow Wu Peifu, he will lose his support.Zhang Zuolin had acquired the northeast and northwest, but he also wanted to control the territory along the Yangtze River and control the finances of the Beijing government. This left Cao with no choice but to fall to Wu Peifu. (3) Fengzhang was vacillating between peace and war, and hoped that Guangdong's Northern Expedition would be followed by Anhui's response, and he would enjoy the benefits.Luo Wu regarded this battle as a battle of life and death, and went all out.The main force of the Feng army was concentrated on the eastern front, and the unreliable 16th Division was placed in front of the western front. During the Zhiwan War, Duan Qirui used non-directed troops to lead the battle. affect. (4) Wu Peifu fought against the city, he could only win but not lose, Zhang Zuolin could retreat outside the pass if he lost, so he lacked the determination to win.